3 Pinoys in Qatar to appeal conviction for espionage, economic sabotage
The camp of the three Filipinos convicted for committing espionage and economic sabotage in Qatar is set to appeal the sentences on Monday, a television report said.
A report aired over GMA New's Unang Balita said the lawyer of the three Filipinos will appeal the death sentence of one and the life sentence meted on the two.
It also said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Qatar for any assistance it can give the three. The Palace earlier said it was doing its best to help them.
The DFA had said that the one sentenced to death was an employee of a state-owned company while the two others were technicians in a military base.
They were among nine Filipinos who were arrested in Qatar four years ago initially for terrorism. Six of them were released while the remaining three were convicted of committing espionage and economic sabotage.
In Monday's report, the mother of one of the Filipinos meted with a life sentence said that her son did nothing illegal.
"Halos araw-araw umiiyak ako lalo na pagka ganyan an meron ako nababalitaan pagka tumatawag siya talagang umiiyak ako. Kailangan ko ba siya makikita? Bakit ganito ang nangyari eh wala naman siyang ginagawang masama?" she said.
On the other hand, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente Relacion said the charges against the Filipino worker on death row stemmed from a corruption case supposedly against his employer.
He said investigators found information in the Filipino's laptop that may be used for their case.
"During the course of the investigation, they found out that another case could be charged against one of the principally accused and that's why they were building up that case and this came out, this spinach case," he said.
But his co-workers belied reports that the Filipino passed information about the Qatar military to the National Bureau of Investigation and to a senior Army official in the Philippines.
"Hindi po totoo yun, yung espionage po na yun... ito po it's all about sa company nila na ginawa lang po nilang personal," said one of them in the report.
Another one of the workers, who was also detained but eventually released, said their Qatari boss was implicated in an anomaly involving money and might have used the convicted Filipino as a fall guy.
"Siya ay under fire siya yung dinidikdik according to the auditing para mag-testify against sa kanyang amo and since nung araw na iyon ay hindi na siya pumunta sa hearing naging wanted siya at that night pinasok ay yung bahay niya," he said. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News
A report aired over GMA New's Unang Balita said the lawyer of the three Filipinos will appeal the death sentence of one and the life sentence meted on the two.
It also said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Qatar for any assistance it can give the three. The Palace earlier said it was doing its best to help them.
The DFA had said that the one sentenced to death was an employee of a state-owned company while the two others were technicians in a military base.
They were among nine Filipinos who were arrested in Qatar four years ago initially for terrorism. Six of them were released while the remaining three were convicted of committing espionage and economic sabotage.
In Monday's report, the mother of one of the Filipinos meted with a life sentence said that her son did nothing illegal.
"Halos araw-araw umiiyak ako lalo na pagka ganyan an meron ako nababalitaan pagka tumatawag siya talagang umiiyak ako. Kailangan ko ba siya makikita? Bakit ganito ang nangyari eh wala naman siyang ginagawang masama?" she said.
On the other hand, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente Relacion said the charges against the Filipino worker on death row stemmed from a corruption case supposedly against his employer.
He said investigators found information in the Filipino's laptop that may be used for their case.
"During the course of the investigation, they found out that another case could be charged against one of the principally accused and that's why they were building up that case and this came out, this spinach case," he said.
But his co-workers belied reports that the Filipino passed information about the Qatar military to the National Bureau of Investigation and to a senior Army official in the Philippines.
"Hindi po totoo yun, yung espionage po na yun... ito po it's all about sa company nila na ginawa lang po nilang personal," said one of them in the report.
Another one of the workers, who was also detained but eventually released, said their Qatari boss was implicated in an anomaly involving money and might have used the convicted Filipino as a fall guy.
"Siya ay under fire siya yung dinidikdik according to the auditing para mag-testify against sa kanyang amo and since nung araw na iyon ay hindi na siya pumunta sa hearing naging wanted siya at that night pinasok ay yung bahay niya," he said. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News
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