Denpasar (Antara Bali) - Brett Theo Savage, a 44-year-old South African national, has been sentenced to life in prison by the Denpasar district court for smuggling 2,979 grams of methamphetamine.
The sentence handed down on Tuesday was heavier than the prosecutor's demand for 17 years in jail and a fine of Rp2 billion, or two months more in jail for failing to pay it.
While reading the verdict, Chief judge I GAB Komang Wijaya said the defendant had been guilty of violating Article 113 of Law Number 35 of 2009 on narcotics.
Upon hearing the verdict, the defendant's lawyer, Maya Arsanti, said she would appeal it.
Brett was caught on October 19, 2011, upon arrival at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport aboard Singapore Airlines SQ 942 from Johannesburg.
As the case developed, it was found the illegal drug was supposed to be handed to Sri Handayani at Hotel Oranjje in Denpasar.
The police later caught Handayani, who has already been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
According to Savage and Handayani, the drug was also supposed to be sent to Osita Emmanuel Obumneme (27), a football player from Nigeria, who was later caught in Lippo Mall in Karawaci, Tangerang, Banten.
Obumneme, too, has already been sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, which was lighter than the prosecutor's demand for 10 years.(*/T007)
