NORTHERN Ireland's Prison Service has agreed to accept drugs mule Michaella McCollum as a transferred prisoner as her Scottish accomplice, who has already completed this process, continues to await her fate.
Miss McCollum, 21, from Co Tyrone and Melissa Reid, 20, from Lenzie, were imprisoned in 2013 for six years and eight months after admitting trying to smuggle cocaine worth £1.5 million from Peru to Spain.
The Scottish Prison Service agreed to Miss Reid being transferred to a Scottish prison in August last year but have yet to hear if her request has been accepted by the Peruvian authorities, who must confirm that they are happy for her to serve the remainder of her sentence under Scottish law.
The women, who are being detained in "horrendous" conditions, could still face a lengthy wait for their return to home soil.
Sue McAllister, NIPS director general, told McCollum's legal team: "I can confirm that the Peruvian authorities have all of the documentation they require to enable them to make a decision on your client's application for repatriation.
"This paperwork includes confirmation that NIPS is prepared to accept her as a transferred prisoner.
"However, the final decision on the application is a matter for the Peruvian ministry of justice and human rights."
The women were previously being held at Lima's Virgen de Fatima prison but have now been moved to the Ancon 2 prison, which has previously been described by Miss McCollum's lawyer Kevin Winters as "appalling".
Mr Winters said sanitation and toilet facilities are extremely poor and all women have to use a hole in the ground which has to be covered up because of the presence of vermin.
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland programme director of Amnesty International, said: "With Peru's penal system suffering from massive overcrowding, poor access to medical care and endemic corruption, it will be a relief for Michaella McCollum, as well as her family, that she is now a step closer to returning home to complete her sentence."
A change to the law in Peru also means the women could be released in November this year if they are not transferred to their home countries before then.
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