Schapelle Corby's legal team owes an apology to Australian airport baggage handlers over a made-up claim they planted marijuana found in the convicted drug smuggler's bag, unionists say.
Corby's former lawyer Robin Tampoe has revealed he made up the baggage handler theory after hearing a talkback program where callers were discussing alleged corruption among airport staff.
In a documentary on the case that aired on the Nine Network last night, Mr Tampoe said: "Baggage handlers didn't put drugs in the bag, nothing to do with it."
"Now she (Corby) believes it. They all f****** believe it. It's not true."
Transport Workers Union (TWU) Queensland secretary Hughie Williams today said he was "very angry" to hear the damaging claims had been invented.
"It was a very, very serious matter... to make such an allegation at that time against people who had nothing to do with it and it's proved now beyond all doubt now that they had nothing to do with it and it was a fabricated story - I think those people should give all baggage handlers a public apology," Mr Williams told ABC Radio.
He said he never believed a baggage handler had been responsible.
"Those people conspired to make up a story that baggage handlers could, or more, did put the marijuana in that boogie board and I think that's a disgrace for any lawyer, or anybody in public life, or anybody at all, to make such an outrageous allegation," he said.
Corby, 30, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Bali's Kerobokan prison for importing the drugs, maintains her innocence despite all of her appeals being rejected by the Indonesian courts and government.
She sacked Mr Tampoe, who no longer practises law, after she was sentenced to 20 years' jail.
