DOJ set to meet with Indonesian officials over Veloso
(FILE PHOTO) Home is where heart is After 14 years of detention in a foreign land, Mary Jane Veloso, short of a miracle, is returning home after the Indonesian government agreed to a Philippines’ request to transfer her to a local prison.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The Indonesian government has requested a face-to-face meeting with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday regarding the impending transfer of Filipino death-row convict Mary Jane Veloso to the Philippines' jurisdiction.
This was disclosed by DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, who said the meeting was sought by the Indonesian government through a letter addressed to the DOJ.
He explained that the Indonesian government requested the meeting between its Minister for Human Rights and Corrections and Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“The Secretary and I may go there this Friday, and I think it will be about the details of the possible transfer… So I’m gonna go with the Secretary if he is able to finish his urgent matter,” Vasquez said.
He added that he might ask to visit Veloso in her detention while in Indonesia.
Veloso was sentenced to death after she was arrested upon her arrival in Indonesia for carrying 2.5 kilograms of heroin in her luggage.
In April 2015, Veloso was supposed to be executed by a firing squad, but Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted a reprieve to allow Philippine authorities to pursue criminal charges against her alleged illegal recruiters.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier announced that an agreement had been reached between the Philippines and Indonesia for the transfer of Veloso's jurisdiction to the Philippine government.