Scott Rush, one of the remaining members of the Bali Nine, has been convicted for several unrelated historical crimes in Brisbane, just two weeks after his release from an Indonesian prison. Rush, 39, was part of the infamous Bali Nine group, which attempted to smuggle eight kilograms of heroin out of Bali, resulting in nearly 20 years of imprisonment.
Upon his return to Australia earlier this month, Rush, along with fellow group members Michael Czugaj, Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen, and Martin Stephens, was immediately faced with pending charges for crimes committed in Queensland back in 2005, the same year Rush was arrested in Indonesia.
Rush pleaded guilty to a series of offenses, including fraud, breaking and entering, and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. Court records revealed that most of these crimes occurred when Rush was just 19, and they were committed in the weeks leading up to his involvement in the Bali drug smuggling attempt. He had broken into several homes across Brisbane and stolen items such as a car, mobile phones, jewelry, credit cards, and more.
Despite his conviction, Rush was not handed further jail time for these historic offenses and was released from custody. The five members of the Bali Nine were freed under a deal between the Indonesian and Australian governments, although officials have clarified that their release was not a pardon but based on humanitarian grounds.
