Statement of Undersecretary Francisco F. Baraan
On the case of Mary Jane Veloso
[Released on April 17, 2015]
The case of Mary Jane Veloso has already gone past the stage of court trial. Our appeal to the Indonesian Supreme Court has been denied and a second appeal is what we are readying now, still hopeful that our plea to save Mary Jane will be heard this time. Our own President has done his part by appealing to the compassion of the Indonesian President. We appreciate the concern of all those who are working to save Mary Jane from execution, but whatever action we take now that is possible under our jurisdiction, like investigating the supposed principal of Mary Jane, a certain Kristina Sergio, and even filing a case against her if evidence warrants, may no longer result in a re-opening of the legal proceedings. But we continue to exhaust every possible remedy, legal and diplomatic, even as we must accord respect to the legal processes of Indonesia.
