Tests confirm pills were Ecstasy, say Indonesian police

Michelle Leslie poses on the catwalk during the Sarina Suriano show at Australian Fashion Week. Picture / Reuters

DENPASAR, Bali - Tests have confirmed that two tablets found in the handbag of Australian model Michelle Leslie were ecstasy, senior Indonesian police said today.

The results of the labouratory tests were announced at a news conference in Bali by national police chief Sutanto and the island's drug squad chief Bambang Sugiarto.

Sutanto said he would send details of the tests to the Australian Federal Police.

Leslie today hired a Bali lawyer with a strong record of helping foreigners to take her case.

Mohammad Rifan - who is also defending some of the Bali nine - met Leslie, 24, today at Bali's police headquarters.

"She hasn't been interrogated yet, so I have not set a strategy," Rifan said. "We are waiting for the police investigation to start."

If charges are laid and she's convicted, Adelaide-born Leslie could face a maximum of 15 years in jail, though a prison term of a few months is more likely for such a small amount of drugs.

Rifan recently scored well in court by securing short jail terms for two other Australian clients.

Last month he represented Adelaide man John Julian Pyle who received a mild five-month jail sentence for possession of a small amount of hashish following a police operation in the Bali mountain resort of Ubud.

Early this year, Rifan led the case for champion yachtsman Christopher Packer who spent three months in jail for illegally bringing firearms into Indonesia on his boat.

- AAP