Aussie taxpayers to foot $100,000 bill for Cassie Sainsbury's legal defence
Aussie taxpayers will foot the $100,000 bill for Cassie Sainsbury’s legal defence, after the 22-year-old was found guilty of trying to smuggle cocaine out of Colombia.
The Adelaide resident was sentenced to six years’ jail yesterday and ordered to pay a $130,000 fine after she pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. While the Australian government won’t touch the fine, taxpayers will cover her legal assistance.
“These people (like Cassie) are just victim of bigger criminals,” said Sainsbury’s Columbian lawyer, Orlando Herran, adding that he believed she deserved the money.
Convicted drug mule Cassie Sainsbury could walk free from a Colombian prison within three years. @MarkWBurrows #9News pic.twitter.com/jWLD2EvpRg
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) November 2, 2017
Sainsbury is not the first convicted drug smuggler to have part of her legal bills covered by Aussie Taxpayers, with Schapelle Corby, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran receiving similar treatment from the Australian government.
“Cocaine Cassie” was staring down the barrel of 30 years behind bars for trying to smuggle 6kg of cocaine out of Columbia on April 12, but thanks to a plea deal accepted by the Columbian judge she could be out in two-and-a-half years for good behaviour.
“She’s lucky because the amount of the drugs was very big,” Mr Herran told the Aussie journalists who had travelled to Colombia after the closed-door hearing.
What are your thoughts? Do you think it’s unfair for Australian taxpayers to foot the bill for legal proceedings in cases like this? Or do we have a responsibility to protect our citizens overseas, even when they’ve put a foot wrong?
Hero image credit: Twitter / The West
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