Convicted drug smuggler Debbie Voulgaris gives exclusive interview to 10 News+ from Taiwan prison
Television's widely anticipated replacement for The Project has kicked off with an exclusive interview with convicted Australian drug smuggler Debbie Voulgaris from a Taiwanese prison.
10 News+, which will air from 6pm on weeknights, promises viewers 'explosive' revelations in the case for its first episode.
Ms Voulgaris, a Melbourne mum-of-five, speaks from an overcrowded women's prison in Taipei and states emphatically that she is innocent of the allegations that have put her behind bars for 15 years.
Ms Voulgaris was caught with 4kg of heroin and a small amount of cocaine at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan in late 2023.
She pleaded guilty to the charge and in late 2024 she was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
But she has maintained that she brought drugs in unknowingly.
Now, appearing on the current affairs program helmed by journalists Denham Hitchcock and Amelia Brace, she pleads with two of her children via a video call to help get her back home to Australia.
'I'm innocent. I am innocent,' she says through tears.
'Please help me to get home as soon as possible.
'To my angels, that's all I can say.'
The program claims to have evidence that supports Ms Voulgaris' claim of innocence.
'She confessed in court in Taiwan, didn't she?' Mr Hitchcock in a clip of the program seen by NewsWire.
'Well, prepare yourself. The truth is explosive.'
In earlier promotional material, Mr Hitchcock and Ms Brace promise viewers the show will 'put the truth first'.
Mr Hitchcock has also claimed Monday night's episode would be 'an absolute blockbuster'.
'It's a story 60 Minutes, Four Corners and Spotlight would kill for,' he told Stellar Magazine.
The Project ran for 16 years, ending its run with a farewell show last Friday night.
Mr Aly, in an emotional tribute, said the show had 'reflected the best of this country'.
'Could you do a prime time commercial news show that hooked its audience by playing with them instead of scaring them,' he said.
'That didn't trade on demonising groups of people who have no platform to respond?
'Not the done thing. Well, we done the thing.'
The Project launched in 2009 and Friday's finale was its 4504th episode.
Australian and international celebrities sent in supportive farewell video messages, with thanks and well wishes coming from G Flip, Robert Irwin, Jess Mauboy, Andy Lee, Pete Murray, Dannii Minogue, Katy Perry, Guy Sebastian and Shane Jacobson.
The Project's longest-serving host, Carrie Bickmore, was close to tears thanking everyone she crossed paths with over 13 years.
Ms Bickmore left the show to devote herself fully to fundraising efforts.
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