Schapelle frenzy grows
After 12 years, drug smuggler flies home.
More than 12 years after boarding a flight that would see her thrust from a relaxed life on the Gold Coast into that of a convicted drug smuggler, Schapelle Corby is returning home.
Just like her entrance into Indonesia in October 2004 and subsequent trial, appeal and release on parole, her departure is unlikely to be a quiet affair.
After spending this week inside her Kuta villa in Bali, sheltering from a growing media pack, the anxious 39-year-old was expected to board a flight from Denpasar to Brisbane at 2am this morning (NZ time).
Her sister Mercedes and her bodyguard, who has protected the likes of the Dalai Lama and Roger Federer, are expected to join her in the journey, and up to 100 police officers are set to be guard her home.
“Police are securing Corby’s house because it’s not normal, there are too many people,” said Bali’s Law and Human Rights Office head, Ida Bagus Ketut Adnyana.
Corby will be processed by immigration officials at the airport and authorities insist she will not be allowed to use the VIP exit.
Officials want to keep her time at the airport brief, citing “security concerns”. They are expecting about a quarter of the passengers on the flight to be from the media.
Her departure marks the end of Corby’s long battle with Indonesian officials, which began when they found 4.2kg of marijuana in her bodyboard bag in Denpasar airport in October 2004.
It will also mark the end of a case that has strained relations between Indonesia and Australia.
“Not only was it a major political issue between our two countries, it defined the bilateral relationship for a number of years,” said Australianbased Indonesia Institute president Ross Taylor.
Corby’s mother, Rosleigh Rose, told reporters on Thursday that no media deal had been reached but did not rule one out.
Corby will be banned from reentering Indonesia for six months, which could be extended depending on requests from authorities.
As her freedom beckoned yesterday Corby created her own public Instagram account.
Her first post was a photo of her dogs, Luna and May, which have become her constant companions since she was released from jail in February 2014.
Since her release on parole and her sister Mercedes returned to the Gold Coast to live, Corby has become the carer of the two dogs, who regularly went with her to the beach when she swam.
In the 2006 book My Story, Corby said she once wanted to be famous but this kind of fame was not what she had in mind.
“I don’t understand why people won’t just leave me alone,” she wrote.
“It’s neverending and I know it will continue until the day someone comes to say, ‘Pack your bags, you’re checking out’.”
Corby has packed her bags but people will still be watching.
— AAP, news.com.au