Legal custody of Mary Jane Veloso to remain under Indonesian gov’t

Filipina drug convict and death row prisoner Mary Jane Veloso, clad in traditional Indonesian attire, smiles during a programme celebrating Kartini Day in honour of Indonesian national heroine and women’s rights activist Raden Kartini at Yogyakarta prison on April 23, 2016. Veloso was arrested in 2009 with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin sewn into the lining of her suitcase and was sentenced to death. (Photo by SURYO WIBOWO / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The legal custody of Mary Jane Veloso, an overseas Filipino worker who has been on death row in Indonesia for over a decade, will remain with the foreign country even after her return to the Philippines, Department of Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed in a social media post that the Philippine and Indonesian governments had agreed to repatriate Veloso to Manila.

READ: Mary Jane Veloso is coming home to the Philippines – Marcos

“The legal custody will remain with Indonesia because we are asked to respect their laws and jurisprudence. However, physical custody will be with the Philippines,” Clavano said during a Palace briefing.

“However, the Indonesian government is aware that we do not have the death penalty here, which they also respect,” he added.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, who was also present at the briefing, said the date of Veloso’s return to the Philippines is still under discussion.

There is also no information yet on where she will be detained. Still, the government is considering the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City and the National Bureau of Investigation facility.

In 2010, Veloso was arrested at Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta after she was found in possession of more than 2.6 kilograms of heroin.

Veloso maintained she was unaware of the contents of her luggage as it was only given by her recruiters, identified as Julius Lacanilao and Maria Cristina Sergio.