Kuwait open to joint probe of Villavende case, says DFA



The Kuwaiti government said it is willing to allow Filipino experts to join the investigation into the killing of Filipina household worker Jeanelyn Villavende, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the DFA said Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ Concerns, Secretary Abdullah Mama-o, and Philippine Embassy in Kuwait Chargé d’Affaires, Mohd. Noordin Pendosina Lomondot, met with Kuwaiti foreign affairs officials last Sunday to discuss the welfare of over 150,000 Filipino workers in Kuwait.
“To show Kuwait’s commitment in the case, Deputy Foreign Minister Al-Jarallah said that his government is willing to allow investigators from the Philippines to join the investigation in Kuwait of the murder of OFW Villavende,” the DFA said.
Villavende was killed allegedly by her own Kuwaiti employers last December.
An autopsy of her body found “multiple, severe, traumatic injuries” and indications of sexual abuse.
During the meeting, Mama-o also expressed his appreciation to the Kuwaiti government for the immediate arrest of Villavende’s employers.
Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Protocol Dhari Al-Ajran assured the Philippine government that the investigation on Villavende’s case will be swift and transparent.
The DFA said there will soon be a joint committee meeting on the 2018 Philippines-Kuwait Agreement on the Employment of Domestic Workers, which safeguards the welfare of Filipino workers in Kuwait.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration earlier approved a total deployment ban to Kuwait following Villavende’s death. —Julia Mari Ornedo/LDF, GMA News

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