Photo from Usec. Eduardo De Vega / Facebook 
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DFA on 15-year sentence on Ranara’s killer: Not enough but at least there’s justice

Jom Garner

The 15-year imprisonment sentence received by the 17-year-old killer of Jullebee Ranara, the Filipina domestic helper who was found lifeless in a desert in Kuwait, is "not enough, but at least there is justice," the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

"For everyone, not just for the DFA, the 15-year imprisonment sentence is not enough if you murdered someone," DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers' Affairs Eduardo de Vega said in a television interview.

"That is how Kuwait law works because the suspect is a minor and the maximum penalty is 15 years, then at least there has been justice," he added.

On Thursday night, the DFA announced that the 17-year-old son of Ranara's employer was convicted by a Kuwaiti juvenile court. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for murder and one year imprisonment for driving without a license.

The suspect has 30 days to appeal the judgment to the Court of First Instance.

Ranara was found lifeless with a burnt and smashed head in a desert in Kuwait in January.

Her autopsy report showed that she was pregnant and the DNA samples matched with the accused — the 17-year-old son of Ranara's employer.