Fresh hope for further Corby cuts in Bali

6 Jul 2012, 3:31 pm   -   Source: AAP
Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby is hoping for further cuts in her jail sentence in Bali. (AAP)

Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby is hoping for further cuts in her jail sentence in Bali. (AAP)

Schapelle Corby is desperate for word on the possibility of being granted parole as she prepares to mark her 35th birthday on behind bars.

Schapelle Corby is the "happiest" she has been for a long time but remains desperate for word on the possibility of parole.

The convicted drug smuggler will spend her 35th birthday on Monday inside Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail.

But unlike the seven other birthdays she has marked behind bars since her arrest in 2004 for attempting to smuggle 4.1kg or marijuana into Bali, this year brings with it fresh hope of an early release.

Corby has also been buoyed in recent days by news that a bid by an anti-drugs group to overturn her clemency win was rejected this week by the State Administrative Court.

The decision in May by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to slash five years from Corby's 20-year sentence means she is due to be released in September 2017.

Kerobokan jail chief Gusti Ngurah Wiratna told AAP on Friday that Corby was "definitely the happiest she has been for a long time".

"I feel that she's no longer afraid," he said.

Mr Wiratna added it was likely Corby would be granted further sentence cuts in August, as part of Indonesian Independence Day celebrations, and at Christmas, if she continued her good behaviour.

"After the clemency information received on May 25 and up to now, Corby hasn't committed any violation. No violation at all. Hopefully she will stay this way up until August 17 where she might receive another remission," he said.

If she is granted the maximum eight months per year in remissions over the next two to three years, the former Gold Coast beautician may be out as early as 2015.

There is also hope that Corby could taste freedom even sooner, if she is granted parole.

A source at the prison has told AAP that Corby will be eligible to apply for parole in September.

However, parole in Indonesia is very rare for foreigners 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.

Her lawyer, Iskandar Nawing, told AAP this week that he was yet to receive word from the Australian government about the parole application.

"We're still waiting for the letter from the family as a guarantor as well as the letter from Australian Consulate before we can submit parole request," Mr Nawing said.

The Australian government was non-committal when asked in May whether it would support the parole application.

"This process is likely to be complex, involving a series of legal steps and consideration by a number of Indonesian government agencies," an Australian government spokesperson said at the time.

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

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