orby’s parole has been stalled by red tape for months, but the latest comments by the justice and human rights minister suggest her release could be imminent.
Mr. Syamsuddin told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday that he planned to read and sign the documents related to Corby’s parole by the end of this week.
“Her application has been [processed] at the Corrections Department, and what's left to do is my assessment, which I promise will be done in three days time, God willing,” the minister said
But Mr. Syamsuddin also said Corby’s parole documents were among thousands of others parole papers currently piled on his desk.
“There are 1,700 files of inmates, including Corby's file. I will evaluate in three days,” he said, “There is no special treatment for Corby.”The justice and human rights minister has previously said he would approve parole if Corby has complied with the rules, and the Corrections Department recommended she be granted parole.
It remains unclear whether the Corrections Department has recommended parole.
Akbar Hadi, the spokesperson for the Corrections Department, confirmed there was a meeting in Jakarta last week to discuss the case but said only that is “still being processed.”
If the Corrections Department has recommended parole, the papers will then be sent to Bali to be approved by the Kerobokan prison governor.
Corby, 36, was sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 4.1 kilograms of marijuana through Bali Ngurah International Airport in Denpasar a year earlier.
During her detention in Bali’s Kerobokan prison the Australian woman has been granted remissions several times. In 2012 the Indonesian president cut her sentence by five years after she filed an appeal for clemency.
If all goes smoothly for Corby she could be released by as early as next week but under her parole conditions will be required to stay on the resort island of Bali with her sister Mercedes Corby and her Balinese brother-in-law Wayan Widiartha, at their apartment in Kuta.
Hikmahanto Juwana, a professor of law at the University of Indonesia, says it’s likely to government will move swiftly on granting Corby parole.
“As long as the parole is in Indonesia, I don’t think there will be any hiccups,” he said Wednesday, “Because it is a right for prisoners here.”
Under the existing parole agreement Corby has stated that she will report to the Indonesian corrections board each month and will be subject to random inspections at her sister’s Kuta apartment.
Professor Hikmahanto said the only likely resistance here would come from a group called Granat, the National Movement Against Narcotics, which has previously been critical of the Indonesian government for reducing Corby’s sentence.
If Corby continues to receive sentence reductions during parole, she could return to Australia by mid-2015 at the earliest.
No comments:
Post a Comment