Push Admin

Blocked testimony imperils Veloso's death row reprieve - lawyer

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments">s<figcaption>Convicted drug smuggler Mary Jane Veloso (R) listens to an interpreter at a court in Indonesia, March 2015. <em>Suryo Wibowo, AFP</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Indonesia may revoke the reprieve from death row of convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso after a Philippine court prevented her testimony against her alleged recruiters, her lawyer warned Monday.</p><p>&quot;Iyun ang masaklap: ang dulo niya, maaaring matuloy [ang bitay],&quot; said Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples&#x27; Lawyers (NUPL), which stands as counsel for Veloso.</p><p>(That&#x27;s what is unfortunate: in the end, her execution may push through.)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4moLs5ZVGoU?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Veloso was sentenced to death in October 2010 after she was caught with 2.6 kilograms of heroin at a Jakarta airport. She claimed she was unaware that her recruiters planted the illegal drugs in a suitcase they had given her.</p><p>Indonesia stopped her execution in 2015 after the Philippine government said her testimony would be vital in the human trafficking charges against her alleged illegal recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao.</p><p>The Court of Appeals last week barred a Nueva Ecija judge from securing Veloso&#x27;s deposition in Indonesia, saying this would violate the right of Sergio and Lacanilao to question her testimony face to face.</p><p>The court, Olalia said, should have shown more flexibility given Veloso&#x27;s &quot;unique&quot; situation.</p><p>&quot;Ang Indonesia, hindi po sila pumapayag na pauwiin kahit magbigay lang ng testimonya at pauwiin. Ayaw rin nilang mag-Skype na lang,&quot; he noted.</p><p>(Indonesia does not allow convicts to go temporarily leave even just to give their testimony. They also prohibit deposition through Skype.)</p><p>The NUPL will file a motion for reconsideration seeking to overturn the court&#x27;s ruling. They may elevate the issue before the Supreme Court if their petition is rejected, Olalia said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rM1C6IC4RGI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>Meanwhile, the Public Attorney&#x27;s Office, which represents Sergio and Lacanilao, reiterated that the accused were not recruiters because they did not accept any fee from Veloso and only helped her find a job abroad.</p><p>&quot;Ang aming rekomendasyon, ihingi ng pardon o clemency itong si MJ sa Indonesia dahil hanggang kailan ba nila bibihagin iyang 2 iyan para hindi mabitay si MJ?&quot; PAO chief Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta told DZMM.</p><p>(We recommend that the government ask Indonesia to grant pardon or clemency to MJ because otherwise, how long do they plan to hold Sergio and Lacanilao hostage just so MJ would not be executed?)</p><p>Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in an exclusive interview with ANC last year, had said he was not ruling out clemency for Veloso, but said it would depend on prevailing laws in his country and how the Philippine court would rule on the illegal recruitment case.</p>

<p>Indonesia may revoke the reprieve from death row of convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso after a Philippine court prevented her testimony against her alleged recruiters, her lawyer warned Monday.</p><p> </p>

Indonesia may revoke the reprieve from death row of convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso after a Philippine court prevented her testimony against her alleged recruiters, her lawyer warned Monday.