BILLIONAIRE businessman Richard Branson has written to Indonesian President Joko Widodo asking him to spare the lives of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.
The Virgin founder, who is also a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy has lent his voice to the issue, saying the two men should not be executed.
Sir Branson this morning said he wanted to speak directly to President Widodo about the issue.
“What we would love to do is speak with the president of Indonesia and try to give them a way forward, a positive way forward for its country,” the British entrepreneur told ABC News 24 this morning.
“We have written to the president saying if he will have us we would love to come and talk … I’m willing to get on a plane today or tomorrow.
“All we’re saying is there is a better approach.”
Sir Branson said countries such as Portugal who had taken a different line on drug crime, rather than enforcing the death penalty had been able to see drugs become a non-issue.
“The drug trade remains remarkably unchanged by the threat of capital punishment,” he said.
“We would be willing to put up our time to explain to them what we have learnt on this issue.
“And obviously we would hope clemency in the meantime.”
Sir Branson’s comments come as Prime Minister Tony Abbott continues to be snubbed by President Widodo.
Mr Abbott put a request to the Indonesian President a week ago to have a one-on-one conversation about the issue but the request continues to be ignored.
This comes as the families of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will today have their second visit to the two men on Nusa Kambangan since they were moved in dramatic scenes one week ago.
The families first visited on Monday this week and yesterday Australian Consul to Bali, Majell Hind, visited.
Besi prison, where the two are held, only allows twice-weekly family visits but consular and legal can take place six days a week.
It comes as a French national, also due to face the firing squad in the next round of executions, was last night quietly and calmly moved without fanfare from Nusa Kambangan to Jakarta for a judicial review of his case today.
Serge Atlaoui’s move, about 9pm local time last night, however had none of the military and police force of Chan and Sukumaran’s move, no Sukhoi fighter jets, no armoured carriers and no riot squad police.
He was simply driven away from the port at Cilacap in Central Java in a convoy of four cars bound for Jakarta. There was one police car escort, Atlaoui was in a plain black SUV and two other cars followed.
