Filipino death-row prisoner Mary Jane Veloso
MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals has affirmed its earlier ruling prohibiting the deposition or sworn out-of-court testimony of Mary Jane Veloso in Indonesia in connection with the criminal case against her alleged illegal recruiters.
In a resolution, CA’s former eleventh division denied Veloso’s motion for reconsideration filed by the Office of the Solicitor General
The Appellate Court stressed it cannot grant government’s plea because it would violate accused Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao’s fundamental right to confront and cross-examine witnesses and accusers.
The deposition was sought to form part of the prosecution’s evidence in the qualified trafficking in persons and estafa case against Sergio and Lacanilao before a Nueva Ecija trial court.
Veloso was sentenced to death in October 2010 for bringing over two kilograms of heroin at Yogyakarta Airport.
She was given reprieve after the Philippines made representations with the Indonesian government. — UNTV News & Rescue
The post CA blocks Mary Jane Veloso from testifying against recruiters appeared first on UNTV News.