Manila, Nov 20 (EFE).- Filipino Mary Jane Veloso, convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia, will return to her home country after spending almost 15 years on death row, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced on Wednesday.
“After more than a decade of diplomacy and consultations with the Indonesian government, we managed to delay her execution long enough to reach an agreement to finally bring her back to the Philippines,” Marcos said in a statement.
“Mary Jane’s story resonates with many: a mother trapped by the grip of poverty, who made one desperate choice that altered the course of her life. While she was held accountable under Indonesian law, she remains a victim of her circumstances,” he added.
Veloso was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 for carrying 2.6 kilograms (5.73 pounds) of heroin in her suitcase, a crime for which she was sentenced to death that same year.
The 39-year-old woman has maintained that she was deceived into carrying the drugs and that they were transported to Indonesia without her knowledge.
She hoped to work as a domestic worker in the neighboring country through the intermediation of a compatriot, Maria Kristina Sergio, who gave her a suitcase with heroin hidden inside, according to Veloso’s complaint at the time.
The woman was to be shot in 2015 along with eight other prisoners convicted of drug trafficking, but she was saved at the last moment after the woman who hired her to transport drugs turned herself in to the police in the Philippines.
Considered by her defenders to be a victim of human trafficking, and tried in Indonesia without a translator, Veloso will return to the Philippines almost 15 years after being convicted in Indonesia.
Marcos expressed his gratitude to his counterpart President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government for their “goodwill.”
“This outcome is a reflection of the depth of our nation’s partnership with Indonesia – united in a shared commitment to justice and compassion,” Marcos concluded. EFE
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