Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has granted an absolute pardon to Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina who spent nearly 15 years imprisoned in Indonesia after being convicted of drug trafficking.
Marcos confirmed on Friday, September 25, that he had signed the pardon the previous day. “I already signed her pardon,” he told reporters, according to Reuters.
Veloso, a mother of two and former domestic worker, was arrested in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2010 after authorities found 2.6 kilograms of heroin concealed in a suitcase she was carrying. She was convicted and sentenced to death, while maintaining that she had been unknowingly used as a drug courier.
Her scheduled execution in Indonesia was halted at the last minute in April 2015 after Philippine authorities appealed to Jakarta to spare her life. Philippine officials had argued that Veloso could provide information relevant to the case against people accused of recruiting her.
After years of diplomatic negotiations between Manila and Jakarta, Indonesia transferred Veloso to the Philippines in December 2024. She arrived in Manila on December 18 and was placed under the custody of the Philippine Bureau of Corrections to serve the remainder of her sentence.
The possibility of an absolute pardon had emerged publicly earlier this week. On September 23, the Philippine Palace confirmed that Marcos was seriously considering clemency for Veloso on humanitarian grounds. The Presidential Communications Office said the matter was still being considered at the time.
That consideration has now resulted in an absolute pardon. Philippine media reported that the clemency clears the way for Veloso’s release, with Philstar reporting that she had remained detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City since her return from Indonesia.
Veloso’s case has attracted international attention for years, particularly because of her claim that she was deceived into carrying the suitcase containing the drugs. Philippine authorities and supporters have described her as a possible victim of human trafficking, while her Indonesian conviction for drug trafficking remained in force until her transfer to the Philippines.
The pardon marks a significant development in a case that has involved two governments, a halted death sentence and more than a decade of imprisonment.
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