The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) said the execution of Veloso would not happen any time soon because the ongoing court process in the Philippines has not yet been completed.

The Philippine authorities have asked Veloso to testify as a witness in a trial in which she has been identified as a victim of human trafficking.

“We have to respect the legal process in the Philippines,” AGO spokesperson M. Rum told reporters.

Veloso was spared execution at the last minute before she was to face a firing squad in April last year after her alleged recruiter in Manila, Maria Kristina Sergio, admitted that she had duped Veloso into smuggling 2.6 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase into Indonesia.

The arrest was followed by strong support for Veloso from then Philippines president Benigno Aquino, who personally appealed to Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to grant her clemency, saying she could be a witness in prosecuting drug rings.

Concern over Veloso’s fate mounted when Jokowi met his new counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, who is notorious for his brutal approach to illegal drugs.

Under his watch, extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and abusers have taken place on a wide scale in the Philippines. Various media outlets have reported that more than 2,000 suspected drug abusers and dealers have been killed since Duterte launched a war on drugs after he was sworn into office on June 30.

Since Jokowi took office in October 2014, he has ordered the executions of 18 people, most of whom were drug traffickers.

Although Jokowi and Duterte remained silent about Veloso’s fate after their meeting over the weekend in Jakarta, Jokowi opened up on Monday, saying that Duterte gave Indonesia the “go ahead” if Veloso is indeed to be executed.

The claim quickly triggered a response from Manila that directly clarified what Duterte said to Jokowi during the meeting. Philippine presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Duterte only told Jokowi: “Follow your own laws. I will not interfere.”

While applying weaker pressure to prevent Veloso’s execution than his predecessor, Duterte refrained from directly supporting capital punishment for one of his own citizens.

Jokowi on Tuesday once again explained the results of his meeting with Duterte regarding Veloso.

He acknowledged that Duterte expressed his respect for the Indonesian legal system, which for him served as a clear message that Indonesia could proceed with carrying out the execution.

In the same event, Jokowi also praised Duterte’s consistency in the fight against drug abusers and dealers, which is similar to his tough stance.

“I see a high degree of consistency in Duterte in the battle against drug trafficking,” he told reporters after the inauguration of the New Priok Container Terminal One.

Rum claimed that no instruction had been given by the President to the AGO on Veloso and the government was still monitoring the trial in Manila.

He said the AGO believed that the information provided by Veloso was still needed by the Philippines to uncover the human trafficking crime; thus, they would not rush to execute her.

Veloso’s lawyer Agus Salim said that he was preparing the paperwork needed for legal actions to anticipate an unfavorable verdict in the trial that may bring harm to his client.

Agus added that Veloso was scheduled to give testimony to the Philippine authorities, a plan that was still subject to close coordination between the authorities of both countries. (win)

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