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Michaelia Cash urges Anthony Albanese to ‘stand up and explain’ Bali Nine deal

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Michaelia Cash urges Anthony Albanese to ‘stand up and explain’ Bali Nine deal

Negotiations are ongoing to extradite members of the so-called Bali Nine drug trafficking gang to Australia, the Federal Trade Minister has confirmed.
However, he claimed that they would continue to serve their sentences and would not be released.
The Australians were arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle heroin from the Indonesian holiday island.

The remaining five members, Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Si-Yi Chen, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj, are serving life sentences in Indonesia for their involvement.

A man in a suit, tie and glasses is talking.

Minister Don Farrell said the prisoners will continue to serve their sentences in Australia. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Renae Lawrence, one of the nine, was released from prison in 2018, while Tan Duc Than Nguyen died of cancer the same year.

Two of the group’s ringleaders, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were killed in 2015. .

Bali’s nine members ‘will continue to serve their sentences’

Trade Minister Don Farrell said talks were ongoing but confirmed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was advocating on behalf of Australians.
Prisoners would continue to serve their sentences in Australia under the proposal, he told Sky News on Sunday.
“My understanding is that the proposal is not to release these people,” Farrell said.
“They will continue to serve their sentences, except they will serve them in Australia.”

Australian Deputy Finance Minister Stephen Jones told reporters on Saturday that Albanese raised the detainee issue during a meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto during the APEC Summit in Peru.

Under the agreement, Jakarta will seek the repatriation of Indonesian prisoners held in Australia, the country’s Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas told the Reuters news agency on Saturday.
Supratman stated that Jakarta does not have established procedures regarding international prisoner transfers, but will work on the issue as soon as possible, and emphasized that the other country should recognize Indonesia’s judicial process.

“This is important to maintain good relations with friendly countries, but it is also in our interest because we have detainees abroad,” he said.

Two people in white shirts and black trousers sit in a cell.

Bali’s nine ringleaders, Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, were executed in 2015. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas

‘Stand up and explain’

Opposition legal affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash called on the prime minister to “stand up and explain the potential deal”.
“Let’s be clear from the outset that these individuals, the Australians, were part of a heroin smuggling ring to bring over eight kilos of heroin back into Australia,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
“Drug crimes are some of the worst crimes our society has seen because of the devastating consequences they have on people, including death.”
He asked the Prime Minister to confirm how the deal was made, whether it would come at a cost to taxpayers and whether they would continue to serve their full prison sentences in Australia.

“And if not, why not?” he said.

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