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After weeks of intrigue about a possible deal, the remaining members of the Bali Nine have been released from prison in Indonesia and returned to Australia. The five Australians have served nearly 20 years of their life sentences for their involvement in a drug-smuggling operation.

The legal basis for their return is not yet clear because there is no prisoner transfer agreement between Indonesia and Australia. This is not surprising, given agreements of this sort are notoriously difficult to negotiate, due to the disparities in sentencing between countries for offences like these.

Tim Lindsey is Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor and Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the Melbourne Law School. This article was originally published by the Conversation