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British drug-smuggling grandma to be sent home after 12 years on death row in Bali

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ABritish drug-smuggling grandmother who has spent 12 years on death row in Indonesia will be sent home to the UK, the two countries announced on Tuesday.

Lindsay Sandiford, 68, has been imprisoned on Bali since 2012.

She was arrested at the resort island’s airport after authorities found 3.8 kilogrammes of cocaine worth €2.1 million hidden in the lining of her suitcase. During the trial, Sandiford said she was forced to carry the drugs by a gang that threatened her children.

She was sentenced to die by firing squad and Indonesia’s highest court upheld it in 2013.

Another British prisoner, who has been serving a life sentence in Indonesia since 2014, will also be returned to the UK as part of an arrangement struck between the nations.

Shahab Shahabadi, 35, was arrested in Jakarta as a result of an investigation into an international drug trafficking network.

He had previously sent 30 kilogrammes of methamphetamine powder in several shipments from Iran to his partner for distribution in Jakarta, before finally arriving in Indonesia himself, prosecutors said.

The deal to repatriate the prisoners to serve out the rest of their sentences in the UK was signed by British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper and Indonesia’s Senior Minister of Law Yusril Ihza Mahendra.

“Both of them [Sandiford and Shahabadi] are facing problems. The first one is ill and has been examined by a doctor from the British Consulate in Bali. She is seriously ill and is 68 years old,” Cooper said.

Mahendra said Indonesia had agreed to release Sandiford on humanitarian grounds. The transfer of the prisoners will take place after both nations have completed technical and administrative steps, she said.

FILE: Indonesia custom officers observe drug evidence as British citizen Lindsay Sandiford, left, covers her face in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, 28 May, 2012. Firdia Lisnawati/AP

 

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has sent several foreign prisoners home under bilateral agreements with their countries. They included a woman from the Philippines who faced the death penalty over drugs charges and five Australians convicted of heroin trafficking.

The United Nations says Indonesia is a major drug smuggling hub despite its extremely strict drug laws, in part because international syndicates target its young population.

About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including nearly 100 foreigners, government data showed last month.

Indonesia’s last executions, of a local citizen and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.

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Police bust syndicate behind nude photo blackmail in Lagos

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Men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Lagos, have apprehended three suspects who allegedly run a cyber blackmail and extortion scheme in the state.

According to the spokesperson of the unit, DSP Ovie Ewhubare, the suspects get a hold of their victims explicit photos and then threaten to release them if a ransom is not paid.

He said that the suspects, two males and a female, were apprehended after a petition was filed by a complainant who reported being repeatedly threatened by unknown individuals demanding money.

“The complainant received several phone calls in which the callers threatened to release her nude photographs to the public if she failed to pay them. Acting out of fear and emotional distress, she transferred money to the suspects.

The situation escalated when the suspects demanded an additional N10 million, prompting her to formally petition the police,” he said

The police imagemaker state dthat upon receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, PSFU, Mr Kayode Ojapinwa, ordered the immediate deployment of operatives to investigate the matter.

“The investigation led to the arrest of the three suspects. Investigations revealed that one of the suspects gained unlawful access to the complainant’s mobile device and fraudulently transferred her nude photographs to his own device. Further findings indicated that he conspired with the other suspects and other accomplices currently at large to demand and receive money from the complainant in several tranches,” he said

According to him, the suspects are currently in police custody and are expected to be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The image maker said that investigations were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and to recover all proceeds of the alleged crime.

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Catholic Priest Collapses And D!es In Front Of Congregation While Walking To Tabernacle To Return Holy Communion

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A Catholic priest has tragically passed away after suddenly collapsing in front of the congregation during Sunday mass.

The tragic incident took place last Sunday, February 1 in Wiesmath in the district of Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Shortly after administering Holy Communion, 59-year-old priest Raimund Beisteiner was about to return the host to the tabernacle when he “suddenly” collapsed, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Vienna.

“Despite immediate professional assistance, he di£d in the church,” the statement said.

The mayor of Wiesmath, Erich Rasner, had also attended the Mass with many other believers and witnessed the dramatic scenes.

The shock in Wiesmath at the loss of the popular priest is great. Beisteiner had shaped the spiritual life of the parish for almost two decades and was highly regarded far beyond the community.

Rasner praised him as an “extremely conscientious, sensitive priest” and also emphasized the personal loss of a friendship that had grown over many years.

A prayer service was organized at short notice for the late priest. It was attended by numerous priests from the deanery as well as Archbishop Josef Grünwidl.

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Nollywood Actress, Angela Okorie Allegedly Re-Arrested Over Alleged Refusal To Pay Lawyer Who Secured Her Bail (Video)

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Angela Okorie, the Nigerian actress, has reportedly been re-arrested over allegations that she refused to pay the lawyer who secured her bail from Suleja Prison.

Angela was re-arrested at the Suleja prison on Tuesday, immediately she was released on bail.

This came less than an hour after actor Stanley Ontop raised the alarm over an alleged plan to re-arrest the actress after release on Tuesday.

Speaking in a video on Instagram, actress Doris Ogala who said she is already on her way to the police station, stated that the actress was re-arrested by an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, for refusing to pay the N5 million agreed fee to secure her bail.

Doris said; “You see, one thing is for someone to cut their clothes according to their size. Angela has been arrested again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to the police station now. You see, when Angela was arrested by Mercy, she called a friend of her or village person. I don’t know how they relate. To help her get a SAN.

“And the SAN charged them N5 million. I think the SAN was the one who even facilitated the bail and all that. Now when Angela knew that they have granted her bail according to the lady, Angela started saying that she didn’t ask her to get a SAN and she wasn’t going to pay the money, and meanwhile this lady has deposited.”

Recall that Angela, who was granted bail on Friday after her arrest by Mercy Johnson over alleged defamation, regained her freedom few minutes ago after perfecting her bail conditions.

Watch Doris Ogala speak

 

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