Australian businessman Matthew Ng, dubbed the country's first Chinese political prisoner by his supporters, has been granted early release from prison 18 months after his landmark prisoner transfer from the People's Republic. 
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Justice Minister Michael Keenan said Mr Ng was being released early based on "exception family circumstances". Within hours, he was stepping out of NSW's Silverwater correctional facility, ending a personal nightmare which began with his arrest in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou in late 2010. "I'm a jumble of emotions," Mr Ng said, speaking to Fairfax Media via telephone shortly after his release. He was in a car, on his way home to see his three children, Megan, 17, Hugo, 13 and Alexandra, 10. "I want to tell them that I'm back in their lives," Mr Ng said. "I want them to know I'm a free man, I'm back in their lives, I can look after them." Since his arrest in Guangzhou, Mr Ng has endured a tale of personal tragedy extending far beyond the loss of his freedom and the $100 million travel business he created.
His eldest daughter Isabella died aged 14 after developing a depression-related eating disorder in   January 2013. He was only informed by family after his prison transfer to Australia was secured in   December 2014.
The battle to secure Mr Ng's release has been complicated by diplomatic concerns, including how it would look to the Chinese if a transferred prisoner this high-profile was released early. In order not to jeopardise future prison transfer applications, the Australian government will probably be at pains to stress their final decision was made on compassionate grounds: the health of Mr Ng's wife Niki Chow, who has long battled cancer, has deteriorated.
But the most bitter pill Mr Ng and his family have had to swallow was the murky nature of the Chinese prosecution's case in the first instance, which saw him sentenced to 13 years in jail, later reduced to 11\xC2&#189; years.
"He's very emotional, as you'd expect," Mr Ng's lawyer Tom Lennox said. "The circumstances of Matthew are a microcosm of China's 21st-century story and Australia's relationship with China."
Charged with bribery, embezzlement and other corporate charges, diplomats and lawyers who observed the case say the charges were manufactured by rival business partners who wanted to wrest Mr Ng's successful travel business Et-China from him.
"He suffered for 5\xC2&#189; years for doing nothing," said Mr Ng's New Zealand-based sister Li Jaing.