AFP ‘will never be able to explain itself’

AFP ‘will never be able to explain itself’

Mick Keelty was the Australian Federal Police Commissioner in 2005 when the Bali Nine were arrested after the AFP tipped Indonesian authorities off, without any authorisation from the Australian government. Photo Wikipedia

Brisbane [AAP]

The Australian Federal Police will never be able to justify exposing the Bali Nine to the death penalty, a barrister with intimate knowledge of the case says.

Bob Myers is a friend of Bali Nine drug mule Scott Rush, who’s serving a life sentence for his role in the heroin ring that’s left Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran facing imminent execution.

Mr Myers says the nine were only arrested in Bali in 2005 because the AFP tipped off their Indonesian counterparts, and they did so without the Australian government’s permission.

He says the AFP should never have facilitated the arrests in a country that has the death penalty, and it’s a heinous breach of their duty to protect Australian lives.

Last month, the AFP promised a more detailed explanation of the events that led to the arrests of the nine but not until clemency efforts had been exhausted.

That now appears to be the case, with Chan and Sukumaran transferred on Wednesday to an Indonesian island for execution.

Mr Myers says the AFP must explain itself, but says he doesn’t believe it will save Chan and Sukumaran at this late stage.

‘At one point, seven of the nine were given the death penalty, including Scott (Rush). Thank god we were able to appeal that,’ Mr Myers told AAP on Wednesday.

‘None of them should have been arrested there. The police had no right to do what they did, and their activities were completely unauthorised. The government knew nothing about what they were doing.

‘There can never be a justification for what they did. That’s why they haven’t given one in 10 years. The AFP have got to be called to task.’

Last month, deputy commissioner Graham Ashton rejected suggestions the AFP would have blood on its hands over the Chan and Sukumaran executions.

He promised the AFP would have more to say if last ditch appeals for clemency failed.

‘We don’t want to say anything that is going to potentially negatively influence that effort,’ he said at the time.

‘But at the right time we will and we’ll say a fair bit about it.’

AAP has approached the AFP for comment.

ENDS

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