Sarah stuck in legal limbo
IT'S looking increasingly likely that the parents of Sarah Armstrong will be spending Christmas without her, as the Tasmanian lawyer's detention in Mongolia shows no sign of being resolved.
Ms Armstrong, a lawyer for Rio Tinto subsidiary SouthGobi Resources, has been held in Mongolia since mid-October after she was was stopped at Ulaanbaatar airport by authorities wanting to question her over corruption allegations.
She has been barred from leaving Mongolia and is being questioned regularly by anti-corruption investigators.
Speaking to the Sunday Tasmanian this week, Ms Armstrong's father Les said there were no new developments in his daughter's situation and they had no real idea of when it might be resolved.
"This could be going on for ages," he said. "She sounds all right but it's stressful for her."
Ms Armstrong's mother Yvonne said she was able to speak with her daughter on the phone three times a week.
Mr and Mrs Armstrong last saw their daughter on September 20, when she made a short visit home to attend Mrs Armstrong's birthday celebrations.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr raised Ms Armstrong's detention with his Mongolian counterpart earlier this month, but little has changed.
Mr Carr said Ms Armstrong was in daily contact with Consul-General David Lawson.
She has not been arrested or charged, she still has her passport and has been staying in her apartment.
Family friend Luke Dean has travelled to Mongolia to visit Ms Armstrong.
In a statement issued to the Sunday Tasmanian on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it would not be constructive to provide a running commentary on the legal process or make predictions about how events might unfold.
"The Australian Consulate-General in Ulaanbaatar is continuing to provide consular assistance to Australian lawyer Sarah Armstrong, who has been prevented from leaving Mongolia in connection with a business-related legal case. Ms Armstrong is not being detained, but has been interviewed several times by the Mongolian anti-corruption authorities. She has been accompanied by her legal representative and interpreter during those meetings and Consul-General Lawson has been in frequent contact with her," the statement said. "The department is in contact with Ms Armstrong's family."
before attending Marist Regional College in Burnie and going on to study law at the University of Tasmania in Hobart.
She developed a passion for international travel at an early age, spending a year on exchange in Chile at age 17, as well as exchanges in China and Japan during her university days.
Ms Armstrong began her law career in Brisbane.
She is fluent in four languages other than English and has been based in Hong Kong for about five years, travelling frequently to Mongolia as part of her work as a lawyer for SouthGobi.
Ms Armstrong, a lawyer for Rio Tinto subsidiary SouthGobi Resources, has been held in Mongolia since mid-October after she was was stopped at Ulaanbaatar airport by authorities wanting to question her over corruption allegations.
She has been barred from leaving Mongolia and is being questioned regularly by anti-corruption investigators.
Speaking to the Sunday Tasmanian this week, Ms Armstrong's father Les said there were no new developments in his daughter's situation and they had no real idea of when it might be resolved.
"This could be going on for ages," he said. "She sounds all right but it's stressful for her."
Ms Armstrong's mother Yvonne said she was able to speak with her daughter on the phone three times a week.
Mr and Mrs Armstrong last saw their daughter on September 20, when she made a short visit home to attend Mrs Armstrong's birthday celebrations.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr raised Ms Armstrong's detention with his Mongolian counterpart earlier this month, but little has changed.
Mr Carr said Ms Armstrong was in daily contact with Consul-General David Lawson.
She has not been arrested or charged, she still has her passport and has been staying in her apartment.
Family friend Luke Dean has travelled to Mongolia to visit Ms Armstrong.
In a statement issued to the Sunday Tasmanian on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it would not be constructive to provide a running commentary on the legal process or make predictions about how events might unfold.
"The Australian Consulate-General in Ulaanbaatar is continuing to provide consular assistance to Australian lawyer Sarah Armstrong, who has been prevented from leaving Mongolia in connection with a business-related legal case. Ms Armstrong is not being detained, but has been interviewed several times by the Mongolian anti-corruption authorities. She has been accompanied by her legal representative and interpreter during those meetings and Consul-General Lawson has been in frequent contact with her," the statement said. "The department is in contact with Ms Armstrong's family."
before attending Marist Regional College in Burnie and going on to study law at the University of Tasmania in Hobart.
She developed a passion for international travel at an early age, spending a year on exchange in Chile at age 17, as well as exchanges in China and Japan during her university days.
Ms Armstrong began her law career in Brisbane.
She is fluent in four languages other than English and has been based in Hong Kong for about five years, travelling frequently to Mongolia as part of her work as a lawyer for SouthGobi.
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