Controversial graft convict Artalyta Suryani walked out of the Tangerang Women's Penitentiary on Friday after the decree approving her release was issued by Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar.

Escorted by her lawyer, OC Kaligis, relatives and an army of bodyguards, Artalyta left the penitentiary to the applause of her former inmates. "I will return to my family and meet my employees again," Artalyta said

Kaligis said they would stop by the Tangerang Prosecutor's Office first to hand over some documents before heading to Artalyta's hometown of Lampung.

Artalyta, who was supposed to have served a four-and-a-half year term for bribing a prosecutor, has been granted parole, with authorities saying she deserves to be released because she has served two-thirds of her term and behaved well behind bars.

But antigraft activists criticized the decision because Artalyta was found to have been enjoying privileges at Jakarta's Pondok Bambu penitentiary, where she was discovered to have a luxury air-conditioned cell equipped with a stereo, a large television, karaoke facilities and a refrigerator during a surprise inspection by Denny last January.

After the inspection, Artalyta was transferred to Tangerang to serve the rest of her term.