Australia close to prisoner deal with Indonesia

CANBERRA - Australia is close to establishing a prisoner exchange programme with Indonesia, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

The call comes as Australian Schapelle Corby, 27, faces a verdict on drug charges in Bali next week.

Mr Howard said agreement on prisoner exchange was approaching.

"Quite close and that could result in the future in people convicted and sentenced for crimes in Indonesia serving at least part of their sentence in Australia, not all of it, but at least part of it," he told Southern Cross Broadcasting.

"As far as Schapelle Corby is concerned it's getting very close the verdict."

Mr Howard said he re-expressed the hope the Corby decision be a true and fair verdict.

"Everybody would want her to be acquitted if she is innocent," he said.

"Everybody would want the whole (Corby) trial to be conducted in a fair manner and in the end we have to trust the Indonesian justice system because that is the system that is dealing with her."

Corby, a Gold Coast beauty student, was discovered entering Bali with more than four kilograms of marijuana in her boogie board bag in October last year.

- AAP