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New hope as Schapelle Corby granted passport

Schapelle Corby behind bars at the Denpasar District Court in 2006. Image: Getty.

Schapelle Corby behind bars at the Denpasar District Court in 2006. Image: Getty.

The news came as the former Gold Coast beautician was granted a new Australian passport, paving the way for the release of the 36-year-old, more than nine years after she was convicted and jailed for drug smuggling.

A spokesman for the Indonesian Corrections Department, Ayub Suratman, has confirmed Corby’s case is set to be heard before the end of the month.

The hearing would be held behind closed doors in Jakarta, after which a recommendation will be sent to Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin for final approval.

The latest developments came as a French drug smuggler was freed on parole yesterday after spending more than 14 years in a Bali prison, a rare early release of a foreigner that further helped boost hopes for Corby and her supporters.

Corby was caught attempting to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana into Bali in a bodyboard bag in 2004.

The Australian was sentenced to 20 years in Bali’s notorious Kerobokan jail in 2005 after a court case that made headlines around the world.

Corby’s sentence was reduced by five years after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year granted her clemency on humanitarian grounds.

If she is released early, Corby would have to serve her parole in Bali, where she would live with her sister Mercedes and brother-in-law in Kuta.

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