CONVICTED drug smuggler Schapelle Corby could be free from her Balinese prison this afternoon after being granted parole by Indonesian authorities on Friday.

The Gold Coast beauty therapist served almost nine years in the Kerobokan prison after being convicted of smuggling more than 4kg of marijuana in a body-board bag in 2005.

She has always claimed she was innocent of the crime, blaming the possession on baggage handlers who she said planted the drugs.

Ms Corby's parole conditions will keep her in Indonesia until 2017 - she is likely to live with her sister Mercedes.

The ABC reports Indonesian justice minister Amir Syamsuddin defended the decision to release Ms Corby - nicknamed by media as the "Ganja Queen" since her arrest in 2004.

Already Australian media outlets are poised to offer millions to tell Ms Corby's story.

However, under Commonwealth legislation, any cash earned could be frozen by the Federal Government using proceeds-of-crime laws.