Judge rejects Australian woman’s drug plea deal in Colombia
BOGOTA — A judge in Colombia rejected a plea deal offered to an Australian woman charged with drug trafficking Wednesday, calling into question the prosecution’s effort to establish her guilt.
Cassandra Sainsbury’s lawyer and prosecutors had reached an agreement that would have allowed the 22-year-old to leave prison after serving six years and paying a fine.
But a magistrate in Bogota refused to accept the agreement, asking why prosecutors did not examine her phone and email records after Sainsbury said she’d acted under threat.
“She maintains she did this against her will,” her attorney, Herran Vargas, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “If there are threats, there can’t be a plea deal.”