Pubdate: Thu, 06 Feb 2014
Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2014
Contact:  http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39

AUSTRALIAN DRUG CONVICT TO LEARN INDONESIA PAROLE DECISION

Australian drug trafficker Schapelle Corby is expected to learn Friday
whether Indonesian authorities have agreed to grant her parole after
more than nine years behind bars on the resort island of Bali.

Australian drug smuggler Schapelle Corby is pictured on April 22, 2008
inside Kerobokan prison in Denpasar on the Indonesian resort island of
Bali

Corby, whose case attracted huge media attention and public sympathy
in Australia, is due to find out her fate in the afternoon when
Indonesian Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin announces his decision in
Jakarta.

She was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2005 after being caught
trying to smuggle 4.1 kilograms (nine pounds) of marijuana into Bali
hidden in her surfing gear the previous year.

Syamsuddin has previously said he does not oppose parole for the
36-year-old.

However he insisted in recent days she will get no "special treatment"
and his decision will principally be based on a recent assessment by a
justice ministry parole board, whose views have not been made public.

"As long as she fulfils all the requirements and has the
recommendation from the parole board... she will get her rights," he
said.

If granted parole, Corby is expected to walk out of the infamous
Kerobokan prison on Bali within a short space of time, possibly by the
weekend, after completing necessary paperwork.

But she will not be able to return to Australia until 2017 after her
sentence is complete and she has stayed in Indonesia long enough to
fulfil the conditions of her parole. Instead she will live on Bali
with her sister.

The former beauty school student entered prison a fresh-faced young
woman but will emerge a changed person after suffering from mental
health problems during her time behind bars.

Corby, who has always maintained her innocence, had her original
sentence cut substantially. She received several remissions for good
behaviour and a five-year reduction from the Indonesian president
after an appeal for clemency.

Her parole bid was a complex, months-long process and speculation
began mounting last year that she was on the verge of release, only
for it to again run into problems. It sped up in the past week after
the parole board finally heard her application.

The process has been complicated by the fact it is rare for Indonesia
to release foreigners on parole. However Corby's bid received a boost
last month when a French drug smuggler was given an early release.

While many in Australia support her early release, some in Indonesia
have been against it, saying it amounts to special treatment.

Eight lawmakers on Thursday handed a letter of protest to Syamsuddin
voicing opposition to granting Corby parole.

They said a decision to grant parole would run counter to Jakarta's
anti-drugs laws, which are some of the toughest in the world, and
would be inappropriate at a time when Australia-Indonesia ties were at
a low after a row over spying. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D