I apologize if my words were disrespectful to Indonesia..."Kuta, Bali (ANTARA News) - Mercedes Corby, sister of Schapelle Corby, who was recently released on parole after serving over nine years in jail for a drugs smuggling attempt, apologized to the Indonesian government for her interview with Australias Channel Seven.
"From the bottom of my heart, I am very sorry to the people of Indonesia if my interview on Australian television caused unease," Mercedes told the press here on Thursday.
"I apologize if my words were disrespectful to Indonesia; I did not intend any disrespect. Our family is thankful and grateful that Schapelle is free on parole, and we thank the Indonesian government," Schapelles elder sister said.
Schapelle Leigh Corby, an Australian tourist, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2005 for attempting to smuggle 4.2 kilograms of marijuana into Indonesia through Balis Ngurah Rai International Airport in October 2004.
In 2012, she received a clemency from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that cut her sentence by five years on humanitarian grounds.
She finally walked free under parole on February 10, 2014 from her jail in Bali, where she had spent two thirds of her prison term for drug smuggling.
On Sunday, March 2, Channel Seven aired an exclusive footage of Schapelle Corbys first days out of prison and an exclusive interview with Mercedes talking about her sisters feelings.
Mercedes in the 11-minute long interview claimed that Schapelle was innocent, suggesting she had been set up. She questioned the origin of the marijuana carried by her sister.
"We do not know where the marijuana came from. It could be from Indonesia," Mercedes pointed out.
Following the airing of Mercedes interview, Indonesian Justice and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin on March 4, said the government was evaluating whether Corbys parole terms were violated by the interview her sister gave to the Australian television network.
"Therefore we are trying to evaluate the degree to which the incident violated the requirements of the parole," he added.
The minister stated that that he was waiting for a report from the Bali penitentiary office about the interview and the report would be used as the basis for the evaluation of Corbys parole.
He explained that it was possible that the result of the evaluation could lead to the revocation of the parole and return Schapelle Corby to jail. ***1***
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(T.SYS/A/KR-BSR/F001) 06-03-2014 18:13:57
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