American authorities have not stopped their work investigating the infamous Bali suitcase murder, even though American nationals Heather Mack and Tommy Schaefer were found guilty of Sheila von Wiese-Mack’s killing in an Indonesian court months ago.
The case is still very much alive, according to reporting from the Chicago Tribune. The American newspaper reports that American federal authorities have flown Indonesian law enforcement officials into Chicago twice recently, to answer questions for the investigation. Though the newspaper also states that the focus of the probe isn’t so clear.
We just learned in the last two weeks from an unsealed document that von Wiese-Mack’s murder in Bali, just over a year ago, prompted a US federal investigation over her overseas death and the conspiracy around it.
But if the Americans are seeking to take justice into their own hands, it isn’t going to be so simple—there’s not an extradition treaty between the U.S. and Indonesia, Stephen Vladeck, professor at American University Washington College of Law told the Chicago Tribune.
“In the absence of a treaty, a lot of it comes down to politics, rather than law,” the international law expert said. “And so the real question is going to be just how much pressure the U.S. government wants to bring to bear on the Indonesian authorities.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, the FBI has been involved with von Wiese-Mack’s murder investigation from the very beginning, from making sure the slain woman’s remains were sent back to the U.S. to assisting Bali police with technical support.
Mack was sentenced to 10 years behind bars, while her boyfriend, Schaefer, was sentenced to 18 years for von Wiese-Mack’s death.
Photo: AFP
