AFP officer wanted out of Indon Nine case

A federal police officer asked to leave the team gathering intelligence on the Bali Nine back in 2005 because of death penalty concerns.

One AFP officer was disturbed by the death penalty aspect of the force's probe into the Bali Nine drug smuggling gang and asked to be let off the case.

Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Mike Phelan was asked on Monday if the officers involved in the investigation fully backed the agency's decision in 2005 to alert its Indonesian counterparts to the group, which included Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Mr Phelan said the "vast majority" supported the decision.

"But I can remember at least one occasion at the time where a request was made by one of the investigators in Brisbane to come off the team," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

"(The investigator) was not comfortable with us dealing with a death penalty situation. I didn't even ask the investigator's name.

"I just said no problem."

Mr Phelan said he welcomed diversity of opinion.

"These are not easy decisions," he said.

"And the fact that there were some officers less comfortable than others goes to the point that each and every day, police officers have to make difficult decisions."

Mr Phelan, who was in charge of the initial investigation, said Australian police asked Indonesia to help investigate the Bali Nine knowing the risk.

Chan and Sukumaran were executed in Indonesia last week.


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Source: AAP


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