Corby parole relies on Aust govt support

28 May 2012, 5:28 pm   -   Source: AAP

Schapelle Corby's lawyer says a guarantee is needed from the Australian government if she is to have any hope of winning parole.

Schapelle Corby's lawyer has met with Australian government officials in Bali to seek support for her pending parole application.

The 34-year-old, who learnt last week her sentence for drug smuggling had been slashed by five years, is facing the prospect of another three years behind bars in Bali's Kerobokan jail unless she wins parole.

Parole is very rare for foreigners in Indonesia, and Corby would have to satisfy a set of strict conditions to be successful.

The complex application process includes the Australian government providing a guarantee that she would not breach the conditions.

But the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has so far declined to say whether it would provide a guarantee, although it has confirmed that Australian officials would be "consulting closely with Ms Corby's lawyers on her application".

"This process is likely to be complex, involving a series of legal steps and consideration by a number of Indonesian government agencies," a DFAT spokesperson said on Monday.

"At this stage, it would be premature to speculate on possible parole conditions."

Corby's lawyer Iskander Nawing, who visited Kerobokan on Monday to hold talks with the jail's governor, said he hoped the Australian government would support his client's parole.

"I hope so, yes. That's why I must meet with the consulate of Australia," Mr Nawing said outside the jail.

"I don't know, but I hope the consulate will help me to protect Schapelle. We need the consulate's support."

Corby was arrested in October 2004 at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport after customs officers found 4.1 kilograms of marijuana in her bodyboard bag.

The former beautician from the Gold Coast was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a clemency decree on May 15 cutting her jail term to 15 years.

Added to the remissions she has already earned, the clemency means Corby is set to be released on September 20, 2017.

However, her sentence is likely to be reduced again with further remissions over the next three years, meaning she would probably walk free from Kerobokan in mid-2015, even if she does not win parole.

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