Pulling up to the prison on a motorbike driven by her husband Wayan, Mercedes was mobbed by the Australian media contingent which has been lying in wait for three days.
Mercedes made no comment as she pushed her way through the media to enter the prison. but gave a short statement on her way out two hours later.
“We’ve been waiting for almost a year-and-a-half,” Mercedes said. “She’s been eligible for parole for almost a-year-and-a-half. Please just give us privacy.”
Other inmates at Kerobokan have told reporters Schapelle is waiting alone in the prison’s “release room”.
It is unclear if the paperwork to authorise her parole will be signed today, but it is a possibility.
As speculation Schapelle’s release is imminent grows, more media are arriving at the prison, with TV anchor Melissa Doyle arriving earlier and Karl Stefanovic on his way.
A press conference by Indonesian authorities which is expected to announce whether Australia’s most famous prisoner has been granted parole, has been pushed back to later this afternoon, Bali time. It was initially expected to take place at 5.30pm AEDT, but now appears to be happening at least an hour later.
If Schapelle is not granted parole this afternoon, her push for freedom will be delayed by at least another two days as the system grinds to a halt over the weekend.
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