Today saw the highly anticipated announcement of convicted Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby’s parole granted.
Her family and supporters were overjoyed with the decision of the Indonesian justice minister to grant parole; however, they can’t begin celebrating her return to Australia just yet, as it is understood Schapelle will first need to see out the terms of her parole.
Under the conditions of her parole, Schapelle will be required to remain in Bali where she will be sequestered at the home of her sister Mercedes and brother-in-law Wayan Widyartha. Their house, located in central Kuta, was inspected by parole officials in advance to assess its suitability.
The terms of her parole last until the expiration of her sentence in 2016. In addition to that, she is also required to serve an extra 18 months under parole supervision until mid-2017.
During that period she is required to remain in Indonesia and will not be allowed to return home to Australia.
Although Corby is not allowed to travel outside the country, she will be allowed to travel around Indonesia. She must inform her parole officers of any plans to travel, though, and get their permission first if she attempts to leave her base at her sister’s Kuta home.
Schapelle was initially sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2005 after being found guilty of smuggling 4.2kg of Marijuana into Bali in her boogie board bag. The sentence was then reduced to 15 years on appeal and then increased back to 20 years on further appeal.
In 2012, she placed a clemency appeal to Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono which she won, seeing five years cut from her total sentence.
She has now served a total of nine years in jail since her initial arrest in 2004. In that time she has also won more than 30 remissions and had her sentence further cut.
She has been eligible for parole since serving two thirds of her prison sentence 18 months ago. Her sister Mercedes told reporters earlier that today’s release was 18 months in the making, as the family and their lawyer navigated the complicated red tape required to necessitate her parole.
