MANILA: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said legal experts would consider clemency requests for Mary Jane Veloso, who had been sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking before the two countries reached a deal for her repatriation this week. Veloso, 39, had received a last-minute reprieve from execution by firing squad for drug trafficking in Indonesia in 2015. After years of negotiations, she returned to Manila on Wednesday to serve the remainder of her sentence.
“We’re aware of the request for clemency from her representative, of course, and from her family,” Marcos told reporters on Thursday.
“We leave it to the judgment of our legal experts to determine whether the vision of clemency is appropriate.”
Indonesia did not set any conditions on the return of Veloso, Marcos said.
“We are still far from that,” Marcos said when asked about clemency. “We still have to have a look at really what her status is.”
Veloso, a former domestic helper and mother of two, was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after being found with 2.6 kg (5.73 lb) of heroin concealed in a suitcase.
She said she was an unwitting drug mule, but she was convicted and sentenced to death, prompting an outcry in the Philippines. Veloso was repatriated days after the five remaining members of the “Bali Nine” drug ring were sent back to Australia from Indonesia.
Philippines president says legal experts to consider clemency requests for convict Veloso
https://arab.news/gvst9
Philippines president says legal experts to consider clemency requests for convict Veloso
- Mary Jane Veloso was arrested in Yogyakarta in 2010 after being found with 2.6 kg of heroin concealed in a suitcase
- She said she was an unwitting drug mule, but she was convicted and sentenced to death, prompting an outcry in the Philippines
Ukraine, Norway, Sweden top destinations for German arms exports
- The economy ministry said Ukraine had received around $2.35bn of arms exports from Germany
- Norway, a founder member of NATO, bought German arms worth 1.3 billion euros in 2025
BERLIN: Ukraine was again the top recipient of German defense exports last year, followed by Germany’s Scandinavian NATO allies Norway and Sweden, an official report said Friday.
The economy ministry said Ukraine had received around two billion euros ($2.35bn) of arms exports from Germany, which has been Kyiv’s most important backer in Europe in its war with Russia.
After Ukraine, the biggest buyers of German arms were Norway and Sweden, which are regarded as exposed to any threat from Moscow given their proximity to Russia.
Norway, a founder member of NATO, bought German arms worth 1.3 billion euros in 2025.
Sweden, which applied to join NATO after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and joined the alliance in March 2024 — purchased around one billion euros worth of weapons.
Finland joined NATO in 2023 for the same reasons but was not among the 10 biggest buyers of German arms last year.
