The federal government has dropped its three-year battle to bring a suspected people smuggling boss to Australia only three days before his release from an Indonesian jail.
The Attorney-General's Department has confirmed it had withdrawn its extradition request for Zamin Ali last Friday, The Australian reports.
Ali, a 56-year-old ethnic Hazara from Pakistan who is also known as Haji Sakhi, was released from prison in Mataram, Lombok on Monday.
Indonesian immigration officials are likely to deport him to Pakistan, sources have told the newspaper.
The Attorney-General's Department's request had been active since at least 2009 following Ali's arrest in February of that year.
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A spokesman said: "Australian authorities are no longer in a position to prosecute Ali for the alleged people-smuggling offences for which his extradition was sought."
The Australian said it was understood the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions reviewed the case against Ali and found it would be unlikely to hold up in an Australian court.
Ali was one of four people smuggling suspects Australia wanted to extradite for prosecution.
Sources told the newspaper he had previously been deported from Indonesia, with his activities dating back to 1999.
