Czech convicted drug smuggler Karel Sroubek granted parole

Czech kickboxer and convicted drug smuggler Karel Sroubek has been granted parole after his fifth attempt.

He appeared before the Parole Board on Monday at the Auckland South Corrections Facility and will be released in September.

Sroubek was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison in 2016 for importing over 5kg of MDMA into New Zealand.

The drugs had a street value of $375,000.

The Czech kickboxer, also known as Jan Antolik, fled to New Zealand in 2003 on a false passport.

He was controversially granted residency in 2018 by then-Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway - despite having drug charges against him. 

In justifying his initial decision, Lees-Galloway said Sroubek's life could be in danger if he returned to the Czech Republic. 

The Minister later reversed his decision and issued a new deportation liability notice.

The Parole Board's decision is expected to be released on Tuesday.