Indonesian Court Sentences New Zealander Antony Malmanche For 15 Years On Drug Charges

New Zealnder and alleged drug carrier Antony de Malmanche has been sentenced to 15 years in jail by an Indonesian court for drug trafficking. The Bali court was unmoved on the pleas about his mental illness and victimisation by online scammers.

Chief judge Cening Budiana in a ruling said, human trafficking argument was looked into but "in this case, what applies is Indonesian law.” The 53-year-old had pleaded innocence on the ground that he was unaware that 1.7kg of crystal meth was in his backpack when he flew down to Bali from Hong Kong on December 1, expecting to meet the woman with whom he had an online relation and had been chatting for long hours.

But Antony can take relief that death sentence was spared in his case unlike the Bali 9 who faced bullets for drug crimes. Prosecutors argued for 18 years' of jail term for Antony, because his passport, plane ticket and a customs declaration forms were enough to prove his guilt.

Innocent Victim

But defence claimed that Antony was framed and is a victim of trafficking, rather than a trafficker, and called for testifying his mental illness, low IQ and vulnerability to brainwashing by online scammers. Judge noted that de Malmanche was healthy, both physically and mentally and was able to communicate, travel abroad and answer questions during the trial. These factors showed that the defendant cannot shirk his criminal responsibility and also no excuse could be found to justify what he did and the defendant needs to be punished.

De Malmanche was silent and put his head down and walked back to his holding cell with one of his sons, who flew down to Bali. His lawyer Chris Harno said he would consider an appeal. During the trial, Malmanche's past as an abused child and his mental illness were highlighted. It was also argued that he was depressed and felt lonely and was seeking love online when he met "Jessy Smith", and accepted an invitation for an expenses-paid overseas trip that followed.

The Kiwi met some men whom he believed to be Jessy's staff in China, before he flew from Hong Kong to Bali, where at the airport Customs picked up drugs from his backpack. Around 450 pages of chat logs between de Malmanche and "Jessy" were also produced in the court.

Maligned Bali

Prosecutor Siti Sawiyah urged the judges to declare the defendant guilty for importing more than five grams of narcotics that violated Article 113 point 2 of the Narcotics Law. “The defendant has acted against the government’s ongoing efforts to eradicate illegal drugs,” she said and also accused Antony of damaging the image of Bali.

Indonesia's new president Joko Widodo has vowed to wipe out drug abuse from the country. He braved international pressure and the government executed 14 convicted drug traffickers, including Australians and Brazilians, in the first four months of 2015.

(For feedback/comments, contact the writer at k.kumar@ibtimes.com.au)