A financial deal to release pregnant Brit Bella Culley could reach an eye-watering six-figure sum. Bella is in an ex-Soviet jail in Georgia accused of drug trafficking
A pregnant British teen who is being held in a Soviet-era jail may have to pay a whopping six figure sum for her release.
The family of drug mule suspect Bella Culley might have to stump up an eye-watering £100,000 to buy her freedom from the Georgia jail she is stuck in.
Bella, stuck at the No 5 Women’s Penitentiary in Tblisisi, was previously facing a hefty 20 years behind bars after she was arrested and held in May with £200,000 worth of drugs in the country after a flight from Thailand.
But her lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia told The Sun that “Negotiations are close to completion” referring to a deal that will clinch Bella’s release. Essentially, the higher the fine Bella’s family pay, the shorter the jail time and a comprosmise is expected to be reached before October 9.
Mr Salakaia did not say how big the sum would be, but sources said prosecutors are likely to be demanding around £100,000.
Georgian lawyer Anna Putkaradze said: “If the prosecution is calculating the fine based on the estimated street value of the drugs in Britain, rather than in Georgia. I would estimate it at around £100,000.
“The law does not literally say ‘exactly half,’ but according to the Customs Code and the practice of the Revenue Service, when contraband goods are discovered, the fine is usually set at roughly 50%.”
Ms Putkaradze added there were nuances in the case including the severity of the offence, the final destination of the drugs and mitigating factors.
Culley’s trial was due to start yesterday but was adjourned at the last minute as Judge Giorgi Gelashvili praised the “ongoing success in negotiations”. The judge told Culley’s lawyer that he could move the date for the next hearing “the very moment you reach an agreement” in a 40-minute sitting in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi.
Mr Salakaia, defending Culley, said on the steps of the courthouse: “If her family is ready to pay the sum that the state is demanding she can go straight to the airport.”
However, Culley’s mother Lyanne Kennedy, who was in Tbilisi for the trial, said the amount of money was “a lot of money for us”. She added: “They offered us a layered approach: this and this much to let her go immediately, and then another [lower] offer where she serves some amount.
‘I don’t know what to do”.
It means Bella will walk free immediately if her family pay the larger figure or she can serve some time if they pay a smaller fine.
Mr Salakaia said: “At this moment Bella’s family isn’t ready to pay the amount requested. It all depends on Bella’s parents. The prosecution is willing to let her go on the same day the demanded amount is paid.
The teen backpacker’s disappearance sparked an international search when she went missing while on holiday in Thailand back in May, only to inexplicably reappear in handcuffs after landing at Tbilisi Airport in Georgia.
Bella was taken into custody after her claims of being coerced into transporting the narcotics were disputed by the police. The stash was discovered in her hold luggage, following her journey from Thailand to Georgia via the UAE, in a suspected sting operation by ex-Soviet state authorities.
The student nurse from Billingham, County Durham was found in possession of – and has since been charged with – buying a total of 446g of tetraphenol cannabinol, an especially strong variant of marijuana. She also faces charges for possessing 11.2kg of cannabis and transporting it.
Each of the three counts she’s facing carry different prison terms – her first and second charges could result in up to 20 years each, while the third could add another six years to her sentence.
The teenager has alleged she was “coerced” by smugglers into carrying the drugs, and has even claimed she doesn’t know which country she’s in.
Bella pleaded not guilty at a pre-trial hearing in June.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
#Pregnant #Brit #Bella #Culley #pay #sixfigures #freed #exSoviet #jail
