National

Police Start to Question Michelle Leslie
Wednesday, 24 August, 2005 | 05:25 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Denpasar, Bali:Michelle Leslie, an Australian model who was arrested in Denpasar on Saturday (21/08), has appointed M. Rifan as her lawyer.

Bali Police have started to question Leslie, who has the popular name of Michelle Lee.

“We will try to prove the charges brought against her,” said Bali Police Narcotics Director Adj. Comm. Bambang Sugiharto in Denpasar on Tuesday (23/08).

The police have already taken a sample of Leslie’s urine bur are still await the results of the laboratory test.

According to Sugiharto, the police have also already requested the assistance of the Australian police in order to obtain Leslie’s criminal record.

Leslie’s lawyer M. Rifan said that he was yet able to see the results of the laboratory test and other evidence seized by the police.

Rifan said that the police might charge Leslie for drug possession, which has a maximum sentence of between 4 and 15 years imprisonment.

“It’s all in the hands of the police because we’re still in the investigation stage. At the moment, I am only protecting my client’s rights,” said Rifan, who is handling the defense of many other Australian citizens, charged in drug cases in Bali.

National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said that the police would continue carrying out the operation to eradicate drug trafficking in Indonesia, including Bali.

“This is good for the image of Bali because people will know that Bali is not a drug trafficking area,” stated Sutanto. (Rofiqi Hasan-Tempo News Room)