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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Recruiters clear Veloso

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The alleged recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso  cleared her of drug smuggling  even as they denied  Wednesday  the string of criminal charges filed by the family of Veloso  who’s facing execution in Indonesia.

Live-in partners Julius Lacanilao and  Maria Kristina Sergio,  alleged recruiter
of  death convict Mary Jane Veloso attend the preliminary hearing on  charges
of  illegal recruitment, estafa and human trafficking file against them by the
relatives of Veloso. Danny Pata

Ma. Cristina Sergio and live-in partner Julius Lacanilao said they did not deceive  Veloso into carrying illegal drugs to Indonesia in cahoots with an alleged member of drug syndicated identified only as a certain Ike.

Sergio and Lacanilao, accompanied by public attorneys,  showed up before the Department of Justice (DOJ)  and submitted separate counter-affidavits on charges of illegal recruitment, human trafficking and estafa by swindling.

While denying the charges, the Sergio cleared Veloso of involvement in drug trafficking, saying it was possible that she was duped into carrying the luggage containing 2.6 kilograms of heroin by the African-looking men who tried to befriend them while she and Mary Jane were taking snacks on the afternoon of April 24, 2010 at a restaurant in front of the Sun Inns Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sergio said she believes that Veloso was a victim and “was taken advantage of because she didn’t know any better, was in dire need of a job, and because of her tendency to trust people, even strangers.”

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“I fully believe that Mary Jane Veloso is innocent in the case lodged against her for smuggling illegal drugs from Malaysia to Indonesia, which led to her death sentence in Indonesia,” she added.

“I believe Mary Jane did not know that she would be asked to bring a suitcase instead of hand-carry luggage by the dark-skinned man and that she did not know that she was made to bring illegal drugs,” Sergio said.

Insisting their innocence on charges of illegal recruitment, human trafficking and estafa by swindling, Sergio stressed that they only helped Veloso in trying to find a job abroad.

“We cannot be considered illegal recruiters because we did not promise Mary Jane a job. It was she and her husband who pleaded that we lend them money so she could find job abroad,” Sergio said in Filipino.

They denied taking a tricycle from Veloso as part of the payment for her trip abroad.

According to them, Lacanilao was supposed to accompany Sergio on a round-trip flight to Malaysia. But Lacanilao failed to get his passport, so it was Veloso who went with Sergio instead.

  Based on their account, Sergio and Veloso left the country for Malaysia on April 21, 2010 to meet a potential employer there.

Sergio further claimed that it was Veloso who met Ike and a certain John – whom she described as “dark skinned, curly-haired men” – in Malaysia while having snacks outside their hotel on April 24, 2010.

Sergio recalled that Veloso later on told her that the two men offered her a job – to bring a luggage either to Singapore or Thailand. She said she repeatedly warned Veloso, but the latter was dead-set on finding a job immediately.

“As long as I find a job, any job – for my family),” Veloso supposedly told Sergio.

The two men then called Veloso again and the next day, she left the hotel room for the airport, Sergio recalled.

Sergio said she then went home to the Philippines only to learn after two weeks the ordeal of Veloso in Indonesia after being informed by the latter’s parents.

The respondents also denied the allegations of the parents of Veloso.

 “What the Veloso family has been doing to us is just to show and deceive Indonesia that steps are being taken to save Mary Jane from death row at the expense of our dignity and rights under the law,” they complained.

As part of their defense, the couple presented to investigating Asst. State Prosecutor Susan Azarcon some 10 witnesses to support their claims during preliminary investigation hearing yesterday.

They asked the DOJ to dismiss the charges for lack of probable cause.

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