The remaining members of the ‘Bali Nine’ have arrived back in Australia as free men, following a stint of almost 20 years in jail following their foiled drugs smuggling attempt
The five remaining members of the ‘Bali Nine’, who formed a drugs smuggling ring, have been returned to Australia after spending nearly 20 years in Indonesian jails.
The release comes amid a ‘top secret release mission’, with Si Yi Chen, 39, Michael Czugaj, 38, Matthew Norman, 38, Scott Rush, 39, and Martin Stephens, 48, arriving in Australia on Sunday evening on commercial flights. The men are now free and will not face imprisonment in Australia over their attempt to smuggle 8.3kgs of heroin into the country from Bali in 2005.
The secret release arrangement is not a ‘clemency deal’ and Australia does not have a prisoner transfer agreement in place with Indonesia. The men’s release from jail was confirmed by Anthony Albanese.
“The five men committed serious offences, serving over 19 years in prison in Indonesia. We would like to convey our deep appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for its co-operation to facilitate the men’s return to Australia on humanitarian grounds.
“This reflects the strong bilateral relationship and mutual respect between Indonesia and Australia. The Australian Government has consistently advocated for the men and provided consular support to them and their families.
“The men will have the opportunity to continue their personal rehabilitation and reintegration in Australia,” he said in a joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
The remaining five members of the Bali Nine drug smuggling ring have returned to Australia after spending nearly 20 years in Indonesian jails following a top secret release mission.
Si Yi Chen, 39, Michael Czugaj, 38, Matthew Norman, 38, Scott Rush, 39, and Martin Stephens, 48, touched down in Australia on commercial flights on Sunday evening as free men.
The five men will not face future imprisonment in Australia over their attempt to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin out of Bali into Australia in 2005.
The release arrangement with the Indonesian government has not been described as a clemency deal, and Australia does not have a prisoner transfer agreement with Indonesia.
Anthony Albanese confirmed the men’s return on Sunday in a joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. The statement read: “The five men committed serious offences, serving over 19 years in prison in Indonesia. We would like to convey our deep appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for its co-operation to facilitate the men’s return to Australia on humanitarian grounds.
“This reflects the strong bilateral relationship and mutual respect between Indonesia and Australia. The Australian Government has consistently advocated for the men and provided consular support to them and their families.
“The men will have the opportunity to continue their personal rehabilitation and reintegration in Australia. We ask that the media respect the privacy of the men and their families at this time.”
It is understood that the men have been provided with temporary accommodation by the Australian government, to make sure that the former prisoners can access medical care and other necessary support services.
The release deal was the result of years of advocacy by Mr Albanese, who had recently discussed the topic with the Indonesian Prime Minister Prabowo Subianto during the APEC Summit in Lima on November 15.
In an additional statement, Mr Albanese added that the Bali Nine had “committed serious offences,” but said it was “time for them to come home”. He said: “Australia respects Indonesia’s sovereignty and legal processes and we appreciate Indonesia’s compassionate consideration of this matter.
“The five men committed serious offences. Australia shares Indonesia’s concern about the serious problem illicit drugs represents.The government will continue to co-operate with Indonesia to counter narcotics trafficking and transnational crime.”
He then went on to thank President Subianto for facilitating the deal and said: “I want to express my gratitude to President Prabowo for Indonesia’s co-operation and commitment to working with Australia on this matter. I have conveyed my personal appreciation to President Prabowo for his act of compassion.”
The ringleaders of the Bali Nine operation, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in 2015, while Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died in 2018 from stomach cancer. Another member, Renae Lawrence was released in 2018 after spending 13 years in jail.
