This is one of the conditions agreed to by the two countries in exchange for the return of Mary Jane Veloso, who is currently on death row in Indonesia for drug smuggling, he informed.
"The transfer of Mary Jane is carried out according to legal principles, and henceforth, we can request the Philippine authority to return Indonesian inmates, which they are obliged to comply with," the coordinating minister said in a video recording received on Wednesday.
He affirmed that Indonesia will recognize the sentence imposed by the Philippines and the inmates will serve the remainder of their sentence in Indonesia once the transfer is complete.
The arrangement will also stand when Indonesia sets up a prisoner transfer agreement with other countries, Mahendra said.
"Our principles are to ensure equality between nations and that each country will respect the prevailing law in other countries," he affirmed.
Other conditions for Veloso's transfer include the Philippines government's recognition of the Indonesian court's jurisdiction and its verdict against her since she committed a crime on Indonesian soil.
The Philippines will be responsible for Veloso's safety during the transfer. It will also need to ensure that Veloso serves the remainder of her sentence after her transfer.
The transfer is being carried out at the request of the Philippines government. The Indonesian government received a request for her transfer from Philippines Justice Minister Jesus Crispin Remulla a few days ago.
According to Yusril, the decision to transfer Veloso to her country has been approved by President Prabowo Subianto.
Veloso was sentenced to death by the Sleman District Court, Yogyakarta, in October 2010 after she was caught carrying 2.6 kilograms of heroin at Yogyakarta Airport earlier that year.
Her request for clemency in 2014 was denied by then-president Joko Widodo.
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Translator: Agatha Olivia V, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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