Pinay drug trafficker's death sentence in Malaysia on appeal



Philippine officials on Friday said the death penalty imposed on a Filipina for drug trafficking in Malaysia is on appeal and the sentence will not be carried out anytime soon. 

In a news release, the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said the defense counsel of the Filipina filed a notice of appeal right after the death penalty was imposed on her on September 28 after having been found guilty of trafficking 800 grams of heroin and morphine.

"Appeal proceedings in Malaysia generally take some two years or even more. Even after a guilty verdict is handed down at that level, the case can be elevated to the Federal Court," the embassy said.
 
"Appeal proceedings in Malaysia generally take some two years or even more. Even after a guilty verdict is handed down at that level, the case can be elevated to the Federal Court. In the event that the Federal Court will uphold the capital punishment conviction, an application for an executive clemency will be undertaken,” Consul General Medardo Macaraig said.
 
“We still have a long way to go. There is much room for hope,” he added.

Five Filipino death row convicts in Malaysia were granted clemency earlier this year, the embassy said.

The Filipina was apprehended on March 28, 2010 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport enroute to Vietnam by Malaysian authorities.

A bag containing two kilograms of heroin and morphine was seized from her.

The Filipina claimed that the bag was allegedly given to her by a Nigerian on the way to the airport, who is a friend of an acquaintance she met in Malaysia.

“The Embassy is not leaving any stone unturned in providing assistance to her.  She was represented by legal counsel during the criminal trial, and Embassy representatives attended her hearings right from the start and have been visiting her in jail," Macaraig said. - VVP, GMA News

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