July 20 set for reopening of Corby trial

JAKARTA - Schapelle Corby's reopened trial will be held on July 20.

Her celebrity Indonesian lawyer said, Hotman Paris Hutapea, said the Denpasar High Court had given the defence team a little more than 10 days to find new witnesses to back Corby's claims of innocence.

"The High Court has already said the additional hearing will be on July 20 so we have only a week and a half to prepare," he told AAP.

Bali's High Court has agreed to hear testimony from new witnesses backing Corby's claims she did not know about 4.1kg of marijuana found in her luggage at Bali airport last October.

Earlier today Hutapea said the federal government had to make up its mind quickly on whether it would grant immunity to witnesses in the new trial hearings.

Justice Minister Chris Ellison has promised to hold open the option of granting immunity to new witnesses backing Corby's claims to protect them from possible prosecution.

Hutapea said Senator Ellison must decide the immunity issue now.

But Attorney General Philip Ruddock said Corby's legal team had placed unrealistic expectations on the government, adding the Australian Federal Police had already done everything they could to assist Corby's defence team.

Hutapea said the High Court had informed another of Corby's lawyers, Erwin Siregar, about the date yesterday afternoon.

Siregar would break the news to Corby at Bali's Kerobokan Prison today.

Hutapea said he would now send a letter to Senator Ellison repeating Corby and the defence team's plea for more help in tracking down witnesses who could back the former beauty therapy students claims she had been an unwitting drug mule.

But he added that he was not hopeful of Canberra's backing.

"I am pessimistic about getting help from the government judging from their previous behaviour and comments in the media," he said.

- AAP