FIVE years to the day after her sister, Schapelle, was thrown into a Bali jail for drug importation, Mercedes Corby says the family has not given up hope that she will be proved innocent and set free.
Mercedes, who celebrated her 35th birthday yesterday, said the Corby family found it hard to comprehend that five years had gone by but said they would continue their fight.
“We can’t give up hope. It is the only thing that keeps us going,” she said.
“We didn’t think it would be one day, then we didn’t think it would be one week, then we didn’t think it would be six months and here we are, five years.”
She conceded that her sister, who has a severe psychotic illness, has lost touch with reality and given in to despair.
Mercedes said much had happened in the past five years that Schapelle had missed out on – her father and stepfather both passed away and friends married and had children.
Schapelle is serving a 20-year sentence in Bali’s Kerobokan Jail. According to a psychiatrist she is suffering from a severe psychotic illness, is taking psychiatric medication and has been hospitalised twice for severe depression.
Mercedes said her sister’s condition had recently stabilised because of medication, but she was nowhere near normal.
She often had hallucinations and paranoia and at times regressed to a childlike state, even talking like a young girl.
“It is hard because if you were just standing across the room and looking at her you might think she looks normal, but you only have to speak to her for two minutes to know that things are not right,” she said.
The family’s legal team is still working on its next move, but Mercedes said the first thing was to get better medical help for her sister and have her moved to a medical or mental institution.
A report by Australian psychiatrist Jonathan Phillips outlining Corby’s mental illness has been sent to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
But not everyone agreed Schapelle was insane. Kerobokan Jail governor Siswanto, yesterday said she was “just fine” and was joining in activities with other prisoners.
Meanwhile her lawyer, Iskandar Nawing, said yesterday he was working on a “technical” way of applying for clemency from the Indonesian President without having to admit guilt, something she will never do. Normally admissions of guilt are needed for clemency pleas.
He said it had not yet been determined when the application, seeking leniency and commutation, would be lodged.
Corby was travelling to Bali with family and friends when her luggage was searched by Customs at Bali airport on October 8, 2005. Marijuana weighing 4.2kg was found in her boogie board bag.
Her final appeal to Indonesia’s highest court, the Supreme Court, has been turned down. Her one remaining option is a plea for clemency to the president.
If that fails her only hope of getting back to Australia to serve her remaining jail time hinged on a prisoner exchange treaty with Indonesia.
