Mary Jane Veloso, 39 years old and mother of two children, was arrested in 2010 in Indonesia while carrying 2.6 kilos of heroin in her suitcase, then sentenced to death.
A Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking, as part of a twisted affair that shocked her compatriots, returned to her country on Wednesday, December 18, where she was again incarcerated, journalists from the AFP. The commercial flight on which Mary Jane Veloso took off from Jakarta arrived in Manila at dawn, Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said.
She was taken to a women’s prison about an hour later, AFP journalists present at the scene noted. His fate is now in the hands of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has the right to pardon. Mary Jane Veloso, 39 years old and mother of two children, was arrested in 2010 in Indonesia while carrying 2.6 kilos of heroin in her suitcase, then sentenced to death.
After years of negotiations, she benefited from an agreement between her country and the Indonesia of new President Prabowo Subianto canceling her possible execution. “I hope that our President (Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) will grant me pardon so that I can return to my family. I was imprisoned in Indonesia for 15 years for something I didn’t do.Veloso told reporters after undergoing a medical examination in prison in Manila.
Presidential pardon?
“We call on our president to quickly pardon Mary Jane. We hope he will do it as a Christmas present to us.”added his mother, Celia Veloso. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday thanked Indonesia for turning Veloso over to Philippine authorities, but made no mention of any pardon, amnesty or reduced sentence.
Philippine Department of Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez told reporters Wednesday that the pardon request would be “studied seriously”. If it is not granted, Veloso will be imprisoned for life, he added. On Sunday, five Australians who were serving long sentences for drug trafficking were also sent home by Jakarta.
Two other members of the same group were executed in 2015, despite requests from Canberra. Indonesia has at least 530 convicts on death row, according to the rights association Kontras, citing official data, including 96 foreigners, including Frenchman Serge Atlaoui, 60, imprisoned since 2005 and for whom France is in talks.
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