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The new president of Indonesia has reportedly approved a deal to transfer the remaining Bali Nine drug smugglers back to Australia.
The Bali Times has reported President Prabowo Subianto has agreed in principle to proceed with sending the five remaining group members back to home soil.
“Regarding the Bali Nine, I emphasise once again, the President has agreed in principle to proceed with the transfer process,” the outlet quoted Law and Human Rights Minister Supratman Andi Atgas as saying.
“While I cannot confirm a specific timeline, the President’s agreement allows us to move forward with preparations.”
The “Bali Nine” was the nickname given to a group of nine Australians who were caught trying to smuggle more than 8.3 kilograms of heroin out of Indonesia in 2005.
The group, including Andrew Chan, Myuran Sukumaran, Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens and Renae Lawrence, were arrested after Australian Federal Police tipped off the Indonesian authorities.
Chan and Sukumaran were executed in 2015, while the rest were sentenced to life in prison.
Lawrence successfully appealed to have her sentence reduced to 20 years and was released after serving 13.
Nguyen developed stomach cancer and died in prison in 2018.
The remaining five Bali Nine members are still in jail in Indonesia, though there are hopes they could be back in Australia by the end of the year.
However, this may not translate into freedom. Although details of the deal are not known, it’s expected Indonesia will demand the smugglers continue to serve out their sentences.
