Denpasar: Bali Nine member Matthew Norman, who is serving a life sentence in Kerobokan prison for drug smuggling, wishes his friend and fellow convicted drug smuggler Renae Lawrence "all the best of luck" on the eve of her release.
Norman, at 32 the youngest member of the Bali Nine, spoke to Fairfax Media during a visit inside Kerobokan prison on Tuesday that came less than 24 hours before Lawrence's release from Bangli prison.
"What’s going on with Renae, that’s her story. She was sentenced by the courts to 20 years and she has run her course. She has got her [sentence] remissions, she has done what she needs to do to get out," he said.
"I wish her all the best of luck. For me, I’m still here with a life sentence and I’m still doing all that I can to better myself. I still have hope that my sentence will come down."
In Indonesia, life means life, and without a sentence reduction, Norman will never be released.
Lawrence, by contrast, will become the first member of the Bali Nine to walk free from jail on Wednesday after serving 13 years for attempting to smuggle about 2.6kg of heroin to Australia in 2005.
While he was once close to Lawrence, Norman says he has not had much to do with her since she was moved to Bangli prison, about an hour and a half north-east of Denpasar, several years ago.
When she returns to Australia, the 41-year-old Lawrence faces arrest over an alleged high-speed car chase in NSW – an incident that Norman was also involved in.
Asked if Lawrence's release was a bittersweet moment, Norman dismissed the notion.
"Our sentences are what they are, we have been sentenced by the Indonesian courts," he said.
"I believe that through the Indonesian judicial system, with a life sentence you have many opportunities to have your sentence reduced and we have been applying for the past years to get that reduction. We still haven’t just yet but we still have hope that we can get our sentence reduced and that one day we will get out of here."
Lawrence was originally sentenced to life in prison, but that sentence was later reduced to 20 years. Since then, Lawrence has enjoyed a series of reductions in her sentence that are handed down in Indonesia twice a year, on both religious holidays and the country's Independence Day.
She was initially jailed in Kerobokan prison, then moved to the Negara prison, and finally to Bangli.
Melbourne University's Indonesian law expert Tim Lindsey said Lawrence had received a lighter sentence than the other members of the Bali Nine for two reasons.
"It’s not uncommon for Indonesian courts to give lighter sentence to female drug offenders. It’s not a hard and fast rule but it happens," he said.
"And of course, she didn’t appeal when the others appealed. Her lawyers strongly advised her not to when the others appealed, she stuck with her sentence, which at the time seemed harsh. Her lawyers said it was likely her sentence would be increased [as happened to other Bali Nine members] so she stopped."
Tonny Nainggolan, the Kerobokan prison governor, told Fairfax Media on Tuesday that he would again recommend both Norman and Chen have their sentences reduced from life to a fixed term.
"We have recommended Matthew and Si Yi Chen for a sentence remission change twice since I have been in charge and I will recommend them again," he said.
Source: smh.com.au, November 20, 2018
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