Coordinating Minister Yusril: Mary Jane Veloso Moved To Philippines

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Indonesian Correctional Affairs Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the death row convict in the narcotics smuggling case Mary Jane Veloso was not released, but transferred to her home country, Philippines, through the policy of transferring prisoners (transfer of persons).

Coordinating Minister Yusril also emphasized that the statement by Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. through his official Instagram account @bongmarcos did not contain the word "free". According to Yusril, Marcos' statement uploaded on Wednesday only mentions the return of Mary Jane Veloso to the Philippines.

"There is no free word in President Marcos' statement. Bring her back to the Philippines, meaning that she will return to the Philippines," said Yusril in a written statement in Jakarta, Antara, Wednesday, November 20.

Yusril explained that the Indonesian government had received an official request from the Philippine government regarding the transfer of Mary Jane Veloso. Transfers can be made if the conditions set by the Indonesian government are met.

A number of these conditions include recognizing and respecting the final decision of the Indonesian court in punishing its citizens who are proven to have committed criminal acts in Indonesian territory.

In addition, the prisoner was returned to his home country to serve the remaining sentence there in accordance with the Indonesian court's decision, as well as the cost of relocation and security during the trip to become the responsibility of the state concerned.

"That after returning to his country and serving his sentence there, the authority to guide prisoners has changed to the authority of his country," said Yusril.

Regarding the provision of leniency in the form of remissions, clemency, and the like, Coordinating Minister Yusril said that this was under the authority of the head of state concerned.

"In the case of Mary Jane, who was sentenced to death in Indonesia, it is possible that President Marcos will grant clemency and turn her sentence into a life sentence, given that the death penalty has been abolished in the Philippine criminal law. So, that step is the full authority of the President of the Philippines," said Yusril.

Coordinating Minister Yusril added that the seventh president of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, several years ago, rejected Mary Jane's request for clemency, both submitted by the person and by the Philippine government. "Our president has been consistent with not giving clemency to narcotics convicts for a long time," he said.

He further explained that the Indonesian government a few days ago had received a request to transfer inmate Mary Jane from Philippine Justice Minister Jesus Crispin Remulla. Discussions have also been held with the Philippine Ambassador in Jakarta Gina A. Jamoralin.

"We have discussed everything internally in the ministries under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Kumham Imipas and have been reported to President Prabowo who has approved this transfer of primer policy," he said.

He expects the transfer of Mary Jane in December 2024. Apart from the Philippines, the countries that have proposed the transfer of prisoners are Australia and France.

"At the APEC meeting in Peru, the Australian Prime Minister also submitted the request to President Prabowo and he replied that he was considering and processing the request," said Coordinating Minister Yusril.

Previously, Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through his official Instagram account @bongbongmarcos, Wednesday, said that Mary Jane Veloso would return to the Philippines following negotiations between her party and Indonesia over the years.

"Following diplomatic efforts and consultations with the Indonesian government for more than a decade, we managed to postpone the execution of his death until an agreement was reached to bring him back to the Philippines," said President Marcos.

President Marcos also expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government for their good faith towards Mary Jane Veloso, who showed the level of mutual trust and close bilateral relations.

"This good result," said Marcos, "mirrors the close partnership between our country and Indonesia, which are both committed to justice and compassion."

The Philippine president closed his statement, "Thank you Indonesia. We look forward to the time to welcome Mary Jane Veloso home."