Frenchman freed after 18 years in prison

JAKARTA: A Frenchman who served 18 years in custody for smuggling drugs into Bali is expected to arrive home after he was deported in a case that sparked outrage in France over Indonesia’s tough narcotics laws.

Police arrested Michael Blanc on the day after Christmas in 1999 at the tropical island’s airport with 3.8kg of hashish hidden inside scuba diving canisters.

The now 45-year-old was originally given a life term – narrowly escaping the death sentence handed to some other foreign drug traffickers, including two members of the notorious Bali Nine.

The former cook arrived at the airport in Jakarta on Saturday escorted by Indonesian immigration officials, and accompanied by his mother, Helene Le Touzey, who gave up her life in France to spend nearly two decades in Indonesia campaigning for his release.

The life sentence handed out by an Indonesian court, which rejected Blanc’s claim that he was carrying the drug-filled gear for a friend, was criticised in France as overly harsh.

Paris raised the issue at the highest levels, with the then-prime minister Francois Fillon bringing it up during a visit to Indonesia in 2011.

In 2008, Blanc’s sentence was cut to 20 years thanks in large part to his mother’s efforts.

Le Touzey later helped secure her son’s parole in 2014, something that few foreigners get in Indonesia.

Blanc’s three-year parole period ended in July 2017, after which he was required to finish one year of probation.