The backlash in Indonesia against Schapelle Corby's luxury
accommodation and rumoured $2 million interview fee she may earn is
growing, prompting the head of the Bali parole board, Ketut Artha, to
pay an unscheduled visit on Wednesday to the villa compound where she's
staying.
Mr Ketut drove into the gated Sentosa Seminyak villa complex
on Wednesday morning, dressed in batik rather than his official
uniform. He was with Corby's parole officer, Putu Andiani, and two
others, and they stayed inside for about an hour.
After coming out, Mr Ketut told Fairfax Media that Corby seemed stressed.
“She's still recuperating but she is not at a maximum level yet,” he said.
The increased attention from the Bali authorities means the
Corby family's determination to grant an interview is high risk,
particularly if Corby is under stress and her answers unpredictable.
Ketut Artha: Visited Schapelle Corby.
Photo: Amilia Rosa
He said he had insisted that an Indonesian bureaucrat sit in
the room when and if Corby grants her first post-prison interview, so
that what she said could be relayed back to his superiors in Jakarta.
Mr Ketut is under pressure from the local media and
politicians, who believe Corby should be living in the family compound
of her brother-in-law, Wayan Widyartha, and should not be paid millions
for a tell-all interview about her experiences.
Mr Ketut has already made it clear that she is entitled to
live in the villa complex. However, he said on Tuesday there were
certain things she could say in an interview that would be “fatal” to
her continuing parole.
“We'd have to review what exactly has been said, and it will
be ... not instantly. If she says something [bad] … we'll advise her,
warn her, but if it's fatal, we'll definitely review [her parole].”
He would not elaborate on what issues she could speak about that would be a concern.
Kerobokan prison governor Farid Junaedi weighed in, warning
on Wednesday that if Corby were returned to prison for breaching any
parole conditions “it will be worse than before” because she would miss
good behaviour remissions.
He also told the local
Denpost newspaper it was “stupid” if she did an interview.
“On parole, she is still considered as a prisoner, though
she's free and outside ... I've made it clear to the family that if
she's willing to be interviewed, that would be stupid of her,” he said.
Mr Ketut reiterated to Fairfax Media that Corby did not need
any official permission to do an interview, but said: “We do expect them
to advise us” so they could report back to Jakarta.
“We want to make sure that our [parole] officer is there to
guide Corby, and then we'll need to report to our [department's]
director-general to let him know what happened.”
The comments will increase the pressure on the Corby family –
and on the Seven Network program that has apparently secured first
interview rights – to limit what she says about the Indonesian justice
and prison systems.
Mr Ketut said that he had spoken to Corby's brother-in-law,
Wayan Widyartha, who is her guarantor, and he had “assured me there is
no interview scheduled yet".
The comments square with what TV host Mike Willesee told
journalists on Tuesday, that, though he was inside the compound with the
Corby family, he had no idea when, or even if, the interview would take
place.
The head of the Bali justice office told reporters that the
fact Mercedes Corby was now separated from Wayan made no difference to
his ability to be Schapelle's guarantor. However, if the couple
divorced, the guarantor would have to become a member of her family.
A Law professor at Mahasaraswati University in Bali, Ketut
Sukawati Lanang Perbawa, said the prospect of a paid interview was "an
insult against Indonesia and against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
as the symbol of Indonesia".
"SBY was kind, but the person he was kind to is being very naughty,"
Radar Bali newspaper quoted him as saying.
Professor Sukawati reflected a common misperception in Bali
that, by staying outside the family compound, Corby was breaching her
parole conditions and being given privileged treatment due to some deal
between the Australian and Indonesian governments.
"Now she doesn't want to stay at the address, while in her
guarantee letter she claimed to live there. For me, she should've been
thrown to prison ... What's so special about Corby? What is it?"
Professor Sukawati said.
Constant questioning on the matter from the Indonesian media
is putting pressure on the Bali Corrections Board to crack down on
Corby's family.
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