But Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin made a point to downplay Corby’s parole, refusing to comment specifically on her case at a press conference held at the ministry in Jakarta on Friday afternoon.
"Every day there is parole due and there was more than 1,700 cases today," the minister told the throng of journalists gathered, "1,291 cases have been processed. I will not comment specifically about Schapelle."
After a 45-minute delay, the minister held only a brief press conference and reiterated that the ministry was not giving Corby special treatment and was not “looking for popularity” but to “uphold the rules.”
"Parole is not a policy or a grant," he said, "it is a right governed by the law."
In contrast to the minister’s ambiguous statements, a media release provided shortly afterwards confirms that parole for the 36-year-old Gold Coast woman has been approved.
"Corby has been granted parole because she fulfilled administrative and substantive terms according to law 21/2013 on remissions and parole," stated the press release.
The exact date of Corby’s release is now in the hands of Bali’s Kerobokan prison.
The former beauty school student has been inside the Bali prison since 2005, when she was jailed for attempting to smuggle 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar.
Since she was first arrested, Corby has consistently proclaimed her innocence, denying all knowledge of the drug Indonesian customs officials found her in bodyboard bag.
Initially sentenced to 20 years in prison, Corby has been granted remissions several times. The five-year sentence cut granted by the Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2012 made her eligible to apply for parole.
Under the terms of her parole, Corby is obliged to report to the Denpasar Correction Department each month. Her parole can be revoked at any time if Corby fails to report to the office more than three times in a row, fails to notify authorities of a change in address, or breaks any law.
It is rare for foreign inmates to be granted parole in Indonesia, but Corby is not the first. Parole has previously been granted to Malaysian national Mohammad Hasnan bin Hashim and Frenchmen Michael Loic Blanc.
According to official comments from the Indonesian Justice and Human Rights Ministry, parole is considered a way to incentivise good behavior and ease the overcapacity of jails here.
Indonesian prisons are bursting at the seams, with prison wardens hugely outnumbered by prisoners in most jails across the country.
In 2011, 20,262 prisoners were granted parole and that figure has increased steadily over the past two years. In 2013, the figure jumped to 34,533.
Corby could be released by as early as next week where, as part of the agreed parole conditions, she will be required to stay in Bali with her sister Mercedes Corby and her Balinese brother-in-law Wayan Widiartha, at their residence in Kuta.
Share
