MANILA, Sept. 13 (PIA) -– President Duterte has not given the so-called “green light” to the execution of Mary Jane Veloso.
This was the clarification made by Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. after reading a news item in the Jakarta Post with an erroneous headline that ran, “Duterte has given green light for Mary Jane’s execution.”
Yasay gave credence to a later paragraph in the Jakarta Post story which said: “Veloso was excluded indefinitely from the list of the third round of executions prepared by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) in April, as legal procedures continue in a separate but related case.”
Yasay stressed that her execution has been indefinitely deferred.
The Jakarta Post reported: “Veloso was on the execution list last year but was granted a stay of execution because her alleged boss had been arrested in the Philippines, and the authorities have requested Indonesian assistance in pursuing the case.”
Yasay clarified further that never did Duterte give the green light to the execution of Veloso other than to tell the Indonesian President that he respects their judicial processes and will accept whatever the final decision they will arrive at regarding her case. (DFA)