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Corby hits AFP with writ

Corby hits AFP with writ

Schapelle Corby's sister Mercedes is suing the Australian Federal Police amid revelations that officers searched the office of her lawyer in Sydney on the same day as the AFP's botched raid on Seven West Media's headquarters.

Lawyers for Bali-based Ms Corby filed the paperwork in the Federal Court in Sydney yesterday.

It means the AFP now faces two legal challenges over last week's operation to uncover evidence of an interview deal Seven West was rumoured to have signed with Schapelle Corby over her Indonesian drug smuggling conviction.

This week Seven West launched its own action against the AFP over the unprecedented raid when more than 30 armed police spent 12 hours searching the company's headquarters and the offices of the Sunday Night program and Pacific Magazines.

Seven West, owner of The West Australian, said it was not connected with or aware of the basis of Mercedes Corby's action but it understood her solicitor was raided on the same day.

The company said the AFP had refused repeated requests to reveal the grounds on which it obtained its search warrants so it was forced to take legal action to find out why.

Both matters are listed before the same judge in the Federal Court today.

Ms Corby's decision to sue comes as Seven West chief Tim Worner ratcheted up criticism of the AFP raids.

He has demanded a "correction and retraction" over what he said was untrue evidence the force's chief and his deputy gave under questioning in a parliamentary Senate estimates committee hearing on Monday.

The pair claimed the raids were carried out after Seven West handed over documents covered by an initial production order but said no others existed, a statement the AFP believed was false.

Mr Worner said these claims, used by Commissioner Tony Negus and his deputy Michael Phelan to repeatedly justify the raids, were contradicted by communications between Seven and the AFP.

"At no time did Seven or its representatives make an unqualified statement to the AFP that Seven had no further documents or words to that effect," Mr Worner wrote.

"Quite the opposite."

He said Seven admitted it was still searching for documents but told the AFP there were none in relation to its shows that met the terms of the AFP's original order.

"In order to avoid any further misunderstanding or reporting of Seven's position, I would appreciate receiving your assurance that you will not make any further statement in any forum to the effect that Seven or its solicitor at any stage during the production order process has informed the AFP that 'there are no further documents'," he wrote.

Seven West strongly criticised the raids on its offices, which were at a time the company said it was co-operating with AFP inquiries over its dealings with Schapelle Corby.

Neither Seven West nor Corby would be breaking the law if they signed a deal for her first post-prison interview.

But the AFP could launch civil action to confiscate any proceeds Corby received.