"President Duterte has given permission to proceed with the execution," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said.
Serang, Banten (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has been granted permission by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to execute Filipina death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso.

"President Duterte has given permission to proceed with the execution," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said here on Monday.

The legal process would be followed up by Attorney General M. Prasetyo, he added.

"I have explained to Duterte about Mary Janes situation and told him that she has been found guilty of carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin," the president said.

He also told Duterte about the delay in the execution during the meeting.

Mary Jane was arrested at Adisucipto Airport in Yogyakarta in April 2010.

Her execution, on April 29, 2015, was delayed following a new development in her case in the Philippines that required her testimony.

The last-minute reprieve came after Mary Janes recruiters, Maria Kristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilo, reportedly surrendered to law enforcement authorities in the Philippines, admitting they had tricked Mary Jane into being an unwitting drug mule, resulting in her death penalty.

Moreover, Mary Jane is suspected to be a victim of human trafficking in the Philippines.

The migrant worker claimed to have met Sergio in Petaling Jaya in Malaysia and was promised a job in the country.

She was told to wait in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, before being assigned work and was given a bag to carry her clothing.

When she arrived at Yogyakartas Adisucipto Airport, Mary Jane was caught by customs officers, who found 2.6 kilograms of heroin worth Rp5.5 billion concealed in her leather bag.

Although the illegal drug did not belong to her, Mary Jane was tried and sentenced to death in 2010.

Mary Jane later applied for a judicial review after her clemency plea was declined by the president.

Her plea was also rejected in a judicial review court in March 2015.

On April 29, the day of the execution, Indonesian Attorney General HM Prasetyo said that Mary Janes status was still that of a convict as her execution was not cancelled, but merely postponed.

If the new case in her home country, the Philippines, could reveal new evidence, she would be able to apply for a judicial review based on the Constitutional Court's ruling, which states that the application for a judicial review could be carried out more than once.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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