An outstanding arrest warrant means Bali Nine inmate Scott Rush will be unable to celebrate Christmas with his loved ones this year after almost 20 years behind bars.
Matthew Norman, Michael Czugaj, Martin Stephens and Si Yi Chen have each left the Howard Springs Accommodation Village near Darwin on flights to their home states after touching down in Australia on Sunday.
Rush is the only Bali Nine inmate who won’t be reunited with family this Christmas as his legal team liaises with the Queensland Police regarding a prior arrest warrant.
The outstanding warrant against Rush is regarding his alleged involvement in stealing less than $5,000 from the Commonwealth Bank in 2005.
He is expected to fly home from the Northern Territory in the coming weeks.
Queensland Police have said they are aware of the existing warrant against Rush and are in contact with his legal team.
The Bali Nine were arrested on drug smuggling charges for attempting to smuggle 8.6kg of heroin out of Denpasar Airport in April 2005 and have since spent more than 19 years living in squalid prison cells.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto struck a top secret deal with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese which granted the surviving members clemency.
The five men are banned from returning to Indonesia for life.
Bali Nine member Scott Rush (pictured arriving in Darwin on Sunday) will not be able to return to Queensland because of an outstanding arrest warrant
Smugglers Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen look on as Australia and Indonesia sign an agreement
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said neither Rush nor Czugaj, who also lives in the state, would be receiving any help from his government in returning home.
‘Drug importations have horrendous consequences at both ends, through both nations, and this was an incredibly sad and tragic tale,’ Mr Crisafulli said.
‘What I hope happens as a result of this is I do hope it reinforces the message to a new generation of younger people who might not even heard of this case that there is a zero-tolerance approach for drugs.
‘If by highlighting this case and the repercussions of decisions made many years ago can prevent even one person from running that risk and destroying their lives, and potentially thousands of other lives, then there will be a glimmer of good that comes from a really tragic situation.’
A police spokeswoman said officers were in contact with Rush’s legal team.
‘Queensland Police are aware of the warrants for a 39-year-old man in relation to outstanding matters and are in contact with his legal representation,’ she said.
‘For privacy and operational reasons it is inappropriate to provide further comment on the matter.’
Rush’s legal representatives are in contact with Queensland Police regarding his alleged involvement in stealing money from the Commonwealth Bank in 2005
Ironically it was Lee Rush, Scott Rush’s father, who contacted the Australian Federal Police requesting they stop his son from leaving Australia, desperate to prevent him from getting involved in any drug activity in 2005.
The AFP forwarded that information to Indonesian authorities who pounced on the group and arrested them at the airport.
Rush’s lawyer claimed in 2005 that the AFP had abandoned promises to stop the group from leaving Australia, instead letting them fly to a country that they knew could execute the smugglers.
Subsequent arrests at Bali’s Denpasar Airport and other locations in Indonesia saw the plot foiled, and ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were sentenced to death. Both were executed by firing squad in April 2015.
Rush was originally sentenced to life in prison but later appealed the verdict to have his sentence reduced to 20 years.
Rush’s father, Lee, is the person who tipped off the AFP that his son was going to try smuggling drugs out of Bali which led to the Bali Nine being caught (Scott Rush and Lee Rush pictured)
Czugaj returned to Brisbane on an overnight Qantas flight from Darwin that touched down in Queensland at 5.30am on Friday.
He was accompanied by a squad of AFP officers and refused to speak to the media upon arrival.
His father was seen leaving his Beerwah home at 12.30pm en route to Brisbane Airport and it is understood that Czugaj returned home with him later that night.
Meanwhile, Matthew Norman and Si Yi Chen reportedly arrived at Gate 10 in Melbourne Airport at 6.50am on Friday where they were greeted by a small group of family members.
Neither commented to waiting media.
Martin Stephens also arrived in Sydney on the same day.
Norman, 38, is expected to move into a waterfront mansion in Torquay, a popular tourist town known for its surf beaches.
The $4million two-storey home has four-bedrooms and is just a stones throw from Cosy Corner, a beach popular with tourist and young families.
Other surviving members of the Bali Nine all returned home on Friday, including Matthew Norman (pictured) who will be moving into a $4million Melbourne home
Mr Albanese said the surviving members of the Bali Nine had paid ‘a serious price’ for their crimes.
‘It is time for the Bali five to have come home. They committed a serious crime. They paid a serious price… [As did] their families…They had paid a significant price for the crime that they committed,’ he said on Friday.
‘It is time for them to come home and I am pleased that has occurred.’
A statement released on behalf of the men said they were ‘relieved and happy’ to be back home on Sunday.
‘In both Australia and Indonesia, at both a senior level and in prison visits and personal assistance, over many years, DFAT have offered professional and enduring support,’ the statement read.
‘The men and their families will always be grateful.
‘They look forward, in time, to reintegrating back into and contributing to society.
‘The welfare of the men is a priority, they will need time and support, and we hope and trust our media and community will make allowance for this.’
