Syamsuddin has said he will strictly follow the law when deciding whether to grant Corby parole. He will base his decision on a recent assessment by a justice ministry parole board, whose views have not been made public.
If granted parole, Corby is expected to walk out of Kerobokan, in south Bali, within a short space of time, possibly by the weekend, after completing necessary paperwork.
But she will not be able to return to Australia until 2017. She needs to first complete her sentence and then remain in Indonesia for an additional year to fulfil the conditions of her parole.
The former beauty school student will instead live on Bali with Mercedes, who has a Balinese husband.
Corby, who has always steadfastly maintained her innocence, had her original sentence cut substantially. She received several remissions for good behaviour and a five-year reduction from the Indonesian president after an appeal for clemency.
Her parole bid was a complex, months-long process and speculation began mounting last year that she was on the verge of release, only for it to again run into problems. It sped up in the past week after the parole board finally heard her application.
The process has been complicated by the fact it is rare for Indonesia to release foreigners on parole. However Corby’s bid received a boost last month when a French drug smuggler was given an early release.
While many in Australia support her early release, some in Indonesia have been against it, saying it amounts to special treatment.
Eight lawmakers on Thursday handed a letter of protest to Syamsuddin voicing opposition to Corby getting parole.
They said a decision to grant her early release would run counter to Jakarta’s tough anti-drugs laws and would be inappropriate at a time when Australia-Indonesia ties were at a low after a row over spying.
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