UPDATED 19th April 2011
The trial of Mark Standen has finally got underway after almost 3 years.
The prosecution claim that three men are accused for trying to import 300kgs of pseudoephedrine to Australia after 2 years of police surveillance.
All three men were arrested for allegedly conspiring to import 600kgs of the precursor drug pseudoephedrine but now the prosecutions legal team have reduced their claim to 300kgs. The truth is they have no idea of what amount of pseudoephedrine was meant to be in the container as there was nothing in there except for rice for Bakhos Jalalatys food company, BK Fine Foods based in Sydney.
After 2 years of surveillance if there was ever any amount of pseudoephedrine ever intended to be in the container then surely their would be some record from the prosecution relating to the amount that was due to be imported.
The original arrest warrant claims that they tried to import 600kgs of pseudoephedrine. The alleged amount has now been reduced to 300kgs. 100kg per year? Maybe if the trial was not postponed for another 3 years the prosecution would then agree there was nothing but rice in the container.
Last week the jury was told Mr Standen was looking at a change in career. This is nothing new for any professional in the civil service whether a fireman, policeman or soldier. After a long service, especially for one that has reached the height in their chosen profession, an early retirement or a career change is often sought.
Mr Standen has served many years working in various fields of law enforcement including The Australian Federal Police and The Australian Crime Commission and according to the prosecution and defence he has been a true professional in all aspects of his work and has dedicated most of his working life to the field of law enforcement.
The Australian Crime Commission and Australian Federal Police have always had a reputation of bitter rivalry between the two agencies.
Bakhos Jalalaty and Mark Standen become friends over the years as Mr Standen and Mrs Dianne Jalalaty worked together as agents in The Australian Federal Police.
James visited Australia and thought it was an amazing country with opportunities in business and a nice way of life.
Over the coming weeks James will give his thoughts and opinions via his web site, which unfortunately takes time as he has no access to a computer or phone in Bangkok prison.
Life is difficult to say the least in the Bangkok Prison and especially as he has no real communication with his family or the outside world except for letters he manages to send. These are monitored and often stolen from the various authorities.
The Australian Federal Police have tried making his life as difficult as possible spreading malicious rumours about him to the court both in Thailand and Australia and also to the world’s press. This in turn has put constant pressure on him, in what is already difficult living conditions in one of the world toughest prisons.
The AFP have often visited him offering various deals. They have offered various opportunities which they say will benefit him in a short prison sentence if he stands witness against his co accused Mark Standen, even if it means fabrication of the truth. James, a man with principles, has always turned their offers and pleas down as he knows he is innocent. He is not prepared to give in to the pressures put on him by the AFP and believes that justice should be done.
This whole situation, nightmare, has been nothing more than a witch hunt for the Australian Crime Commission Assistant Director.
James has also found paying for legal representation difficult as the Australian authorities have frozen his assets which has often meant relying on family and friends to help pay for legal costs. This in turn has impacted on the quality and reliability of the legal representation James has received. Again when arrested the Thai courts were told the accused conspired to import 600kgs of pseudoephedrine so why have they now reduced their claim to 300kgs if they were so sure their was any thing at all in the alleged container?
Whist in Thailand James has not received a fair trial especially as the Australian authorities have put false allegations forward to the Thai courts. Statements relied upon by the AFP are from anonymous witnesses are have not even been signed. This quite clearly is not lawful. Nor are they true authentic copies to name a few of miscarriages of justice that have been put in front of the court. If James was arrested in any other country with a fair judicial system then he would have been released almost immediately
The Australian authorities have allegedly spent more resources on this trial then what they did on the recent foiled terrorist attacks against Australia.
The procecution has previously said they don’t believe what Mr Jalalaty has said in his various witness statements but continue to use them as evidence in the desperate attempt to convict Mr Standen…
We believe the AFP threatened both Mr Jalalaty and his wife the former AFP agent Dianne Jalalaty.
The defence is confident as the trial progresses the Jury will distinguish what is the truth, lies and quite clearly false allegations.
James has been accused of many things from the prosecution during the last two weeks including an international drug dealer and money launderer. He has NEVER been charged, let alone found guilty of either of these two allegations. These fabricated allegations do help dramatise the trial and assist the prosecution in their whole illusion to support their claims. They have in fact offered the court no real substantial evidence to back up their false claims.
Other claims made about James Kinch are that of a police informer to Mark Standen, these claims James will prove to be a complete exaggeration of the truth. James has been named to be an informer on a recent trial even though he has never heard or met the accused, again desperate attempts by The AFP.
How can James come freely to Australia for a fair and receive an unbiased, fair trial after his name has been blackened so much during the trail, via the internet and over the world press over the past 3 years? At the start of Mr Standen’s trial, Justice Bruce James told the jury “The accused is not guilty of anything unless or until he is proved guilty.” This is a comment by a wise and fair man, the Prosecution has condemned James Kinch over the past 3 years with their vicious unfair comments, resulting in a future fair trial in Australia being almost impossible.