Corby's camp dismisses rumours of halving jail term

DENPASAR, Bali - Schapelle Corby's family and lawyers have dismissed rumours that Bali's High Court has decided to halve her 20-year prison sentence for drug smuggling.

Bali-based lawyer Erwin Siregar, who is part of Corby's appeal effort, described the speculation as "bohong" - Indonesian for a lie.

"There is still no decision from the High Court," he said.

Mr Sriregar said the defence team would not be satisfied with a shorter sentence.

"Our goal now is to get her free, not to reduce her jail time," he said.

Bali High Court officials in Denpasar were unavailable for comment.

In Sydney, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australian officials had not been able to confirm the speculation.

"There's a rumour that her sentence is to be halved by the Bali High Court," he said. "But we have no way of confirming that at this stage.

"We'll just have to wait until the judge announces the High Court's decision and I'm not sure when that's going to be."

"People who are campaigning for Schapelle Corby shouldn't have their hopes raised too high because this is just a rumour and this rumour may be incorrect."

Corby's sister, Mercedes Corby, said it is possible that the High Court could change the 28-year-old Gold Coast woman's conviction from charges of drug smuggling to the lesser offence of drug possession, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years jail.

Mercedes said her family had not heard anything to suggest that the three High Court judges considering Corby's appeal were close to announcing a decision.

"I think this rumour is just a way for Downer to blow his own whistle so that the government looks like it has been doing something to help, when it hasn't," she said.

"It is something that could happen - just like keeping her 20-year sentence or reducing it to 15 years or 10 or 3 - but we haven't heard anything," she said.

Mercedes Corby said the High Court had until August 28 to either issue its decision or extend the deadline for another 30 days.

She said the court had not yet announced a decision on whether it would allow potential defence witnesses in Australia to testify via video-phone link.

Corby's lawyers want the witnesses to give evidence this way in Australia rather than in person in Bali where they could face prosecution under Indonesian law.

The lawyers hope the witnesses will back Corby's claim that someone stashed 4.1kg of marijuana in her luggage after she checked in at Brisbane airport for Bali last October.

- AAP