Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla is set travel to Indonesia on Friday, Dec. 6, for talks on the return to the Philippines of convicted drug courier Mary Jane Veloso.
“The secretary and I will go there this Friday. I think it will be about the details on the possible transfer,” said Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez.
Vasquez said the trip was set after the Philippine government received “a letter from Indonesia asking a face-to-face audience between the secretary of justice and the minister for human rights and corrections."
“We were surprised in fact na may sulat silang ganyan na gusto nila face-to-face (that they have a letter asking for a face-to-face meeting),” he said.
Vasquez pointed out that the talks between Indonesia and the Philippines were arranged through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the embassies of the two governments.
“All of us are hoping before Christmas Veloso will be back in the Philippines,” said Vasquez.
During the talk, Vasquez said the DOJ expects that the Indonesian government will lay down the conditions of the transfer.
“We do not have any treaty with Indonesia with respect to the transfer of sentenced persons,” he reminded.
Because of this, Vasquez stressed that the Philippines will have to comply with those conditions.
As to the calls to grant clemency to Veloso, Vasquez said “that’s a policy na pag-uusapan (that will have to be discussed).”
Veloso was sentenced to death in Indonesia for trying to smuggle in 2010 2.6 kilograms of heroin.
“Once nandito sa atin hindi mangyayari ‘yung implementation ng death penalty (Once she is in the Philippines the death penalty will no longer be implemented),” Vasquez said.