8/9/2019 The Robert McJannet Story

1/2

t was a chilling moment for Aussie father-of-threeRobert McJannett.

used of smuggling a tinyntity of marijuana into

the crane driver keptesting his innocence.eriously ill with liver disease,l disease, depression and

nful tooth infection, his storyd the same through hours ofrogation. Somehow hedset up. He was not guilty.nd then laughing policeColonel Kokot Indarto,of the islands narcoticson, turned to him andYou dont want to admits yours? How will youe it? We found it in yourage. If you keep this up,

will get like Corby got.uddenly, with a shockrror, Robert realised thatuld be facing a lengthynce inside Balis notoriousbokan jail just likepelle unless he didhe was told.eluctantly pleading guilty,

ventually spent five monthsnd bars before returningrth a shattered and angryust over four weeks ago.he legal battle cost Robertealth, his career, his car andthan $70,000 $40,000 of

The arrest and trial of Aussie dad RobertMcJannett has shed new light on the webof corruption and shady deals in Balis

justice system. Robert says he was forcedto plead guilty to a drug offence he didntcommit, or face a punitive sentence likeCorby. Our shock report offers new evidenceto back Schapelles claims shes innocent

it borrowed from friends in payments to officials.

At times he was so sickhe thought he was going todie, and on at least two occasionshe seriously contemplatedkilling himself to escape themisery of Kerobokan and hisdevastated career.

For five months I witnessedblackmail, bribery and corruptionon an unprecedented scale, the49-year-old told reporters on hisarrival back in Australia.

It is clearly not possibleto receive a fair trial in theBali justice system.

Roberts arrest over 1.7 gramsof marijuana has disturbingparallels to the heartbreakingordeal of Schapelle Corby, who

is currently serving 20 years inKerobokan after being convictedof smuggling 4.1kg of marijuanain a boogie-board bag in 2004.

Both were arrested atDenpasars Ngurah Rai Airporten route to family holidays, bothhotly denied any wrongdoing.

Both asked to see anyCCTV footage covering theirdeparture from Australia andtheir arrival in Bali.

Both also begged for thedrugs allegedly found in theirluggage to be finger-printed,as proof of guilt or innocence.

But all their requests wererefused. Instead, they wereparaded before the local media

while back-slapping policeand customs officers passedaround the so-called evidence contaminating it forever.

My experience certainlyraises a lot of important questionsabout the Corby case, saysRobert, a veteran trade unionist,political candidate and anti-corruption whistleblower, whotravelled to Bali for a five-daybreak with his son Josh Daley,21. Theres definitely a racket

going on over there. The entiresystem is corrupt. One thing iscertain, that you are going to befound guilty its just a questionof how long it takes.

Then you buy your sentence,the more money, the lighter itis, and if you dont pay yourestuffed. The problem withSchapelle was that it all gotblown out of proportion andthen she had no chance. Itnearly happened to me too.

During the months of painand uncertainty that followed hisarrest last December, Robert had

plenty of time to think. His prison journal makes disturbing reading,detailing bouts of sickness, casualcruelty, coercion and demands formore and more money, including$US550 just to see a doctor.

Partly inspired by the BaliNines Andrew Chan, a born-againChristian, he prayed desperatelythat he would eventually be freedto see his son and daughters

Taylor, 12, and Amber, 10 again.Today Robert insists that the

marijuana was somehow planted onhim Im not stupid enough to takedrugs into Indonesia, believe me but that Balinese authorities heaviedhim into pleading guilty.

He maintains that he hadnever seen the narcotics beforea customs officer stopped himand discovered a large metalpackage in his luggage, whichhad mysteriously failed to trigger

Australian airport security.Then the official disappeared into

an office, only to return with a sportssock definitely not one of mine containing the 1.7 grams of marijuana.

During 22 hours of questioning,he claims he was left in no doubtthat continuing to press hisinnocence would only lead to

a heavier penalty. It was clear bythis stage that anything other thana full admission of guilt was goingto result in a Corby-like sentence.

He sacked his first lawyerafter paying him $3500 He

wanted me to plead not guilty,and I rapidly realised that wasstupid then coughed upa further $68,000 to thelegal eagle who finallyrepresented him in court.

At first he wasasked for $US100,000then $US105,000,but pleaded

For months I witnesseblackmail, bribe

and corruptio

THE NEW EV IDENCE THATCOULD CLEA r SCHAPELLE

COVEr STOrY

CORRUPTION, LIES & BLACK MAIL

Roberts plight madenational headlines as hedid everything possible,

including praying andforking out cash, toregain his freedom.

Schapelle has

vehementlymaintained her

innocence since herarrest in 2004.

EXCLUSIVEINTErVIEWLIFEINABALIJAIL

8/9/2019 The Robert McJannet Story

2/2

Schapelle is a mess... she canteven string a sentence together

poverty. The second lawyerthen returned with an offer of$US60,000 plus a minimumof $24,000 in AustralianGovernment funding.

The eventual deal washe would escape with a five-month sentence, if he pleadedguilty and also admitted to

being addicted to marijuana.Luckily, perhaps, he had

actually been to drug rehab10 years ago and could providethe proof. From this, the lawyerand prosecutor proceeded tocreate a story that he had beenusing for 30 years.

I was stunned by thebrazen nature of the corruption,says Robert, who lost 15kgduring his imprisonment. Atthe start I was told I would geta minimum of five years under

the heavy importation law,articles 111 and 113.

Much later I was told therewere new user laws. Underarticle 127 the sentence was zeroto four years. If I paid more, andcould prove I was addicted, it

would be article 134, with amaximum sentence of six months.

Robert had no choice butto agree with the arrangement,although he says: It was themost difficult thing I have ever

had to do. I felt like jumping upand screaming at the judges,its all so wrong. Its a bigbusiness venture totally aboutmoney. Everyone gets a cut atall levels of the system.

The verdict was what I wasexpecting, what Id bought, butI was told to look surprised. The

whole thing was a pantomime.

But if Id dared to even hint itwas a set-up, they would havedropped their bundle and I wouldhave got 20 years like Schapelle.

During his Bali nightmare,he met and befriended the formerGold Coast beauty student inKerobokan prison. When hegrew a beard, sad and confusedSchapelle mistook him forher father, who passed away

in January 2008.Shes a mess, Robert says

bluntly, describing how sheis bullied by another femaleinmate despite constant

scrutiny by guards and virtuallyignored by male members of theBali Nine. I guess I was expectingher to look five years older, butI wasnt prepared for the sight Isaw, thats for sure...

Theres no doubt she issuffering from a severe mentalillness. Its chalk and cheese fromthe way she was at her trial. Shesa different person different onthe inside too. She cant evenstring a sentence together.

I used to see her aboutthree times a week, and she

would often remark about

people living in her cell roof orbasement. She is also convinced

that the jails visiting area isbugged and filmed.

But I cant blame her forbeing paranoid about cameras.Shes under the microscope24/7 and its terrible for her,Robert adds. To some there sheis nothing more than a trophy,a commodity. She is tormentedand teased and when the localmedia are after a story on her,

its open slather.Its not good for her health.

If I had copped the treatmentshe does, I would have flippedout in five months. She has

been in jail now for almost sixyears, but Ive recently heardthat out of the 55 or so convictedof the Bali bombings, only 13are still in prison.

[Others] have either beenparoled or set free, so why notSchapelle? She doesnt posea threat to anyone, does she?

Schapelle wont surviveunless something is done tohelp her. The medication aloneis going to kill her. I call on thegovernment in this election

year to bring Schapelle home,before its too late.

By Jenny Brown

Photos: Irene Trilianos, Renae Photography

Robert is relieved tobe reunited with hiskids Josh, Taylorand Amber.

Robert says he has seriousconcerns about Schapelles

deteriorating mental state.

NEWPHOTOSCHAPELLEINPrISON