An accountant and one-time federal election candidate facing drug charges in Indonesia will need help from the Australian government to avoid a possible death penalty, an international law expert believes.

Isaac Emmanuel Roberts, 35, was arrested following his arrival in Bali from Bangkok on December 4.

He is accused of carrying 19 grams of amphetamine and ecstasy pills in his luggage.

Paraded by Bali police in orange prison garb and a balaclava yesterday, Mr Roberts suggested he had been set up by Indonesian authorities and labelled his arrest "ridiculous".

Mr Roberts reportedly faces charges of importing more than five grams of drugs under article 113, which carries a maximum punishment of death and a minimum of five years jail.

Indonesian police officers escort Australian Isaac Emmanuel Roberts, right, after a press conference in Bali. (AAP)

Australian Isaac Emmanuel Roberts, left, sits in a police vehicle after a press conference in Bali. (AAP)

Roberts wore a balaclava during the media conference. (AAP)

Mr Roberts was crowded as he was marched out of the conference.

During the parade the Toowoomba-born man labelled himself a "f------ addict" and said he wasn't going to sell the drugs.

Melanie O'Brien, of the University of Queensland, says the punishment Mr Roberts will face could come down to negotiations between the Indonesian and Australian governments.

Australian traffickers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed by firing squad in 2015, 10 years after their arrest as the ringleaders of a heroin smuggling operation.

Three men were paraded before the cameras at a press conference.

An Australian has reportedly been arrested on drugs charges in Bali.

The executions strained relations between Jakarta and Canberra and prompted Australia to temporarily recall its ambassador in protest.

"Indonesia takes a very strong stance on drug offences so they don't like being told what to do by countries such as Australia but on the other hand Australia is an important country for Indonesia to have a good relationship with," Dr O'Brien said.

"They can't afford entirely to say no, we're not going to engage in any kind of diplomacy over this issue."

Mr Roberts' lawyer has told News Corp Australia his client was taken to hospital following the parade in front of journalists due to shock over the media attention.

It's reported Mr Roberts has a history of depression.

Mr Roberts said he had been "set up".

He claimed he was "just an addict".

Dr O'Brien said the addition of a balaclava over Mr Roberts' face was a new technique for Indonesian police but the parading of foreigners accused of drug offences was a deliberate statement.

"To get that out there and into the media is part of their preventive measures - it's their way of publicising, 'Hey foreigners, you do this, we will get you, we will put you in jail and possibly give you the death penalty'," she said.

Mr Roberts was the Liberal Democratic Party's candidate for the federal seat of Higgins in 2009 after former Liberal treasurer Peter Costello resigned from parliament.

"I recall Isaac Roberts' name but not much else other than he was a candidate for us in a by-election in Higgins in 2009. I never met him," LDP leader David Leyonhjelm said.

Mr Roberts received only 336 votes in the by-election, which was won by LIberal Kelly O'Dwyer.

The LDP told AAP they had no record of Mr Roberts on their membership database following the by-election.