Hopes high for pardon of RP maid<\/p>\n
MANILA (AFP): The Philippine ambassador to the United Arab
\nEmirates (UAE) expressed confidence yesterday that a Filipina
\nmaid could be pardoned after the family of the man she killed
\ndropped its demand that she be executed.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Roy Seneres in an interview over radio station DZXL
\nhere said if a request for a pardon were made for 16-year old
\nSarah Balabagan, he had \"high hopes that our request will be
\ngranted.\"<\/p>\n
The maid's appeal resumes Oct. 30, and her lawyers hope to
\nprove to the court that she was a minor when she killed her
\nemployer Mohammad Abdullah al-Baloushi after he attempted to rape
\nher in 1994.<\/p>\n
Seneres clarified that while the death penalty had been
\nlifted, Balabagan still faced the possibility of being jailed and
\npaying 150,000 dirhams (US$41,000) in compensation to the family
\nof Baloushi if an Al-Ain court upheld its guilty verdict.<\/p>\n
If this happened, the Philippines would then seek a pardon
\nfrom UAE President Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan al-Nahayan, he said.<\/p>\n
\"If we ask for pardon after Sarah's sentencing, I don't think
\nwe will have a hard time,\" Seneres said, adding that this was
\nbecause of the kindness shown by the UAE president when he
\nprevailed upon the Baloushis to withdraw their demand for the
\ndeath penalty.<\/p>\n
The Baloushi family, through their 24-year-old son Faraj,
\ndropped their demand Saturday, defusing probable unrest in the
\nPhilippines since she would have been the second Filipina to be
\nexecuted abroad this year.<\/p>\n
The Philippines is still smarting from the hanging in March of
\nFlor Contemplacion who was convicted of two murders in Singapore.
\nThere was also the possibility of an acquittal for Balabagan,
\nSeneres said.<\/p>\n
\"The problem here is that even if the accused is acquitted,
\nthere is no double jeopardy here so the other party has the right
\nto file an appeal. So we can't say that she will be released
\nright away,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Seneres said that if Balabagan is granted clemency, the
\npayment of the blood money would also be covered by the UAE
\nPresident.<\/p>\n
While the Al-Ain court has yet to issue its decision, \"there
\nis willingness on the part of the Baloushi family to accept the
\nblood money,\" Seneres said.<\/p>\n
Faraj Baloushi said the money would be used to build a mosque
\nor be donated to charity.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, local dailies reported that Philippines plastics
\nmanufacturing magnate, William Gatchalian, sent a check for 1.06
\nmillion pesos ($41,000) to President Fidel Ramos' sister Senator
\nLeticia Ramos Shahani to cover the amount of blood money
\nBalabagan may have to pay to the Baloushis.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hopes-high-for-pardon-of-rp-maid-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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