Bali Nine member Matthew Norman arrested over alleged car theft that happened nearly 20 years ago

One of the notorious Bali Nine members has been arrested weeks after landing back in Australia following a near two-decade-long stint in Kerobokan Prison.

Matthew James Norman was arrested by Waverley Police on Monday over an outstanding traffic-related arrest warrant, believed to be connected to the theft of a car nearly 20 years ago.

Norman, who at 18 was the youngest member of the Bali Nine, was allegedly a passenger in a car stolen by fellow Bali Nine member Renae Lawrence, The Daily Telegraph reports.

It is alleged the car was taken from Gosford about 4am on March 26, 2005 — just weeks before Norman left Australia on a doomed mission to smuggle heroin that nearly saw him executed by Indonesian authorities.

Lawrence, who was released from Kerobokan and returned to Australia in 2018, has already been convicted of five charges relating to the incident and received a 12-month community corrections order and $1000 fine.

Norman, now 38, had initially faced court over the car theft back in 2005.

After being granted bail, Norman left the country on his fateful trip to Bali.

He was arrested by Indonesian authorities at a hotel in Kuta, with remnants of the drug paraphernalia used to strap drugs to the bodies of other Bali Nine members.

During Norman’s latest brush with the law, he was initially refused bail when he appeared before Waverley Local Court.

Magistrate Stephen Barlow later released Norman back into the community following his court hearing, with the matter adjourned until February 25.

After arriving back in Australia on December 20, Norman started his new life in Torquay, about 21km from the city of Geelong.

He returned alongside other surviving Bali Nine members Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj.