Airline executive in Bali drugs trial
DENPASAR – The former general manager of defunct Bali airline, Air Paradise, has been charged with trafficking marijuana and hashish.
Barry Hess, 50, from Melbourne, could face the death penalty according to a report in The Age newspaper.
Hess, a former Ansett airline executive, was arrested last month after police allegedly found 14.4 grams of hashish and 2.7 grams of marijuana in his Kuta home.
Initially police charged Hess with drug possession, which carries a 10-year sentence.
They claimed Hess admitted buying the drugs for personal use, and said a urine test detected the presence of drugs in his system.
At the opening of his court hearing this week, prosecutors announced they were also charging Hess with intending to sell the drugs, upgrading his possible penalty to execution.
They also included several alternative charges, the most lenient that of being a drug addict who had not reported to authorities. Such an offence is punishable by a maximum of six months’ jail.
The Age reported that prosecutors would nominate at the end of the trial what charge and penalty they believe is most appropriate, but the judges are not bound by their recommendations.
The case will continue next week.
Ian Jarrett
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