Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are scheduled to meet with their Indonesian counterparts on July 29 to discuss developments in the cases filed in the Philippines against the recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso, it was learned.
By: InterAksyon.com
July 28, 2015 2:23 PM
InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA – Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are scheduled to meet with their Indonesian counterparts on July 29 to discuss developments in the cases filed in the Philippines against the recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso, it was learned.
DFA and DOJ official will also discuss with Indonesian officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law and Human Rights, and the Attorney General’s Office the assistance available under the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Among Like-Minded ASEAN Member Countries (ASEAN MLAT), the DFA said in a statement.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jesus Yabes told InterAksyon.com this is part of the government’s continuous commitment to provide assistance to Veloso.
Veloso is the Filipina mother of two who is on death row in Indonesia after being convicted of drug trafficking. She was saved from the death penalty at the last minute in April after President Aquino met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit to appeal her case saying that Veloso is a victim of human trafficking.
The arrest of Veloso’s recruiters, who are now in jail for the offense, was part of the evidence the Philippine government presented to Indonesia to convince them that she is a victim and not a criminal.
The objective is to get Veloso’s clemency, said Yabes. But as of now, Veloso is still on death row.
Veloso’s other fellow death row inmates, who included four from Africa, two from Australia, and one each from Brazil, France, and Indonesia, were executed.
