Mr Jock Palfreeman

Mr Fletcher asked:

In respect of the conviction in December 2009 of Australian citizen, Mr Jock Palfreeman, in a Bulgarian court,

(a) what steps did the Government take to

   (i) monitor the legal proceedings against Mr Palfreeman, and

   (ii) provide support and assistance for Mr Palfreeman during the legal proceedings, and

(b) what assistance is the Government currently providing Mr Palfreeman with?

Mr Rudd responded:

(a) (i) Consular officials have attended all of Mr Palfreeman’s court appearances, most recently on 21 October 2010, and will continue to do so. Consular officials have spoken to Mr Palfreeman’s lawyer on a regular basis.

(ii) Consular officials provided Mr Palfreeman with a list of local lawyers upon his arrest in 2008 and have visited him regularly in detention. During a visit to Australia in October 2009, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Smith raised Mr Palfreeman’s case with his Bulgarian counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Raykov. I also raised Mr Palfreeman’s case myself with President Parvanov during his visit. On 9 November 2009, Australia’s Ambassador to Bulgaria (resident in Athens, Greece) raised the case with Mr Raykov. On 9 March 2010, the Australian Embassy in Athens made formal enquiries of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seeking clarification of the conditions of Mr Palfreeman’s detention.

(b) Consular officials have visited Mr Palfreeman in gaol regularly, most recently on 22 October 2010, and will continue to do so while he remains in detention. Consular officials in Athens and Canberra have met with Mr Palfreeman’s family on a regular basis.