Schapelle Corby could be back in Australia in six months
After serving nine years in a Balinese prison, Schapelle Corby is set to return home to Australia.
Corby was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in 2005 for attempting to traffic 4.2 kilograms of cannabis into Bali. Her sentence was later reduced to 15 years.
The 39-year-old was released on parole from Kerobokan Prison in February 2014. She is expected to be eligible for deportation from Indonesia on May 27 next year, leaving behind her home for the past 12 years.
Parole Board officials keeping tabs on Corby will coordinate the details of her release with Indonesian Immigration over the next few months, News Corporation reported.
Corby is Bali's first foreigner to be granted parole, and the second in the whole of Indonesia, so the process is unprecedented and logistics are difficult to iron out.
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Her parole was only granted because her sister Mercedes’ former husband, Indonesian national Wayan Widyartha, agreed to be Corby's sponsor.
On parole, Corby has been enjoying her freedom by swimming at Bali's popular Kuta beach with her brother Michael and her boyfriend Ben Panangian.
She is required to report to parole officers monthly and adhere to strict conditions of staying away from drugs and not committing any crimes.
Mercedes, who lived in Bali when her sister's parole was granted, has since returned to Australia and has recently opened a Gold Coast bar with former pro-surfer Trudy Todd.
She told Daily Telegraph that she expected her sister would join her for a drink at the Coolangatta Bar when she returns home.
Timeline of events:
July 10, 1977: Schapelle Corby was born on the Gold Coast to parents Michael and Rosleigh Corby. She grew up in the area and attended local schools before dropping out of high school and working in her parents’ fish and chip shop.
October 8, 2004: Customs officials in Denpasar discover 4.1 kilograms of cannabis in Corby’s unlocked bodyboard bag when she flies to Bali for a birthday celebration for her sister Mercedes.
January, 2005: The trial against Corby begins in the Denpasar District Court where the prosecution bases its case on the testimony of customs officials which say Corby claimed ownership of the bodyboard bag.
March, 2005: Corby’s legal team begins its defence, arguing the drugs were planted in the bag.
May 27, 2005: Schapelle Corby is found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but both parties appeal the decision. The defence requests a retrial while the prosecution wants life imprisonment.
June, 2005: Corby sacks and then re-hires all but two members of her legal team after allegations they requested $500,000 from the Australian Government to bribe High Court judges.
October 14, 2005: The High Court reduces Corby’s sentence by five years, but again, both parties appeal the decision.
January 19, 2006: The Indonesian Supreme Court overturns her sentence reduction and reinstates her original 20-year sentence.
November, 2006: Corby releases her autobiography, My Story.
March 28, 2008: The Supreme Court rejects Corby’s final appeal.
June, 2008: Corby is taken to hospital for treatment for depression. She is again admitted to hospital for depression less than 12 months later.
March, 2010: Corby launches her bid for clemency on the grounds that she is suffering from a mental illness that could endanger her life.
April 4, 2012: Indonesia's Justice and Human Rights Ministry recommends Corby’s jail sentence be slashed by 10 years on humanitarian grounds
May 22, 2012: Schappelle Corby is granted a five-year reduction in her sentence.
August 13, 2013: A source within Kerobokan Prison says parole officers visited Corby in jail to begin on paperwork for her parole.
January 22, 2014: Indonesian Prison Authorities say they are likely to make a final recommendation on Schapelle Corby's parole application within weeks.
January 2014: Schapelle Corby's case for parole is heard behind closed doors by Indonesian authorities. They refuse to reveal if it recommended her release from Kerobokan Prison.
February 2014: Schapelle Corby is released on parole from Kerobokan jail in Bali after more than nine years behind bars.
