Corby to begin life outside Kerobokan prison today

Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby will today step outside Kerobokan prison after being granted parole last week, reports Ashleigh Steele from Bali.

Australian Schapelle Corby inside the Kerobokan Prison in Denpasar

Schapelle Corby. (AAP)



 

Schapelle Corby knows freedom from a Bali jail is hours away - now what matters most is when the postman arrives.

As Corby nervously prepares for life on parole, Indonesians are debating whether the Australian "ratu ganja" - drug queen - is getting off lightly.

The boss of Kerobokan Prison, Farid Junaedi, confirmed on Sunday the documents needed for Corby's release had been sent from Jakarta.

If he gets the critical paperwork by Monday morning, the Australian could be free to go that afternoon, after serving nine years for drug smuggling.

On Sunday, the read: "RI (Republic of Indonesia) losing ground in drug war".

It quoted a spokesman from anti-drugs group Granat arguing that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was sending the wrong message by cutting five years off Corby's 20-year sentence in 2012.

Without his clemency, Corby would have had to serve two-thirds of her original sentence before being eligible for parole.

MINISTER DEFENDS PAROLE DECISION

The deputy to the minister who granted Corby's parole, Denny Indrayana, appeared on television to defend the move.

He told Indonesia's TV One that since 2004, only 15 per cent of sentence reductions sought by prisoners on drugs charges had been granted.

Australians holidaying in Bali were more relaxed in their views of Corby.

Emily Lewin, a Perth student, said she had read the book Hotel K, about life inside Kerobokan jail, and believed Corby would have had a tough time.

"After nine years, and because even now she can't leave the house, I think that's long enough," she told news agency AAP.

Oscar Gentner, a regular visitor to Bali from Albury in NSW, also wished Corby well.

"She's probably done her time and deserves to move on," he said.

When Corby, 36, emerges from the prison's steel doors, she will be plunged into a media pack that has grown in size and excitement since last week.

Corby's family members are expected to do all they can to protect her from the media, she's been reportedly suffering from depression for several years and emotional scenes are expected as she realises her freedom after nine years behind bars.

FINAL PAPERWORK

From Kerobokan, officials say she will have to go to a parole office in Denpasar for fingerprinting.

The next stop is the corrections office, also in Denpasar, where she will be interviewed further about the conditions of her parole.

Corby will then be free to go to the Kuta home of her sister Mercedes and brother-in-law Wayan Widyartha.

The agreement says she must live there, but authorities say she can move elsewhere in Bali, provided she advises them of her new address.

It may be necessary, given the number of reporters visiting Wayan's home daily, and the fact one of Corby's parole conditions is that she doesn't create "unease in society".

The traditional Balinese compound that's home to Wayan's extended family is down a narrow laneway with a steady flow of motorbike traffic.

Around the corner, on a bustling Kuta street, is Wayan's small surf shop, Kuta Boardroom, which will sell a range of bikinis Corby intends to design while on parole.

The former Gold Coast resident was arrested in 2004 for smuggling 4.2 kilograms of cannabis into Bali.

 


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3 min read
Published 9 February 2014 2:00am
Updated 10 February 2014 7:57am
Source: AAP, SBS

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