CA stops deposition of Mary Jane Veloso

The Court of Appeals (CA) has halted the lower court’s decision to take the testimony of convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso.

On Monday, the appellate court’s 11th Division issued a 60day temporary restraining order (TRO) against the resolution of Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 88 Judge Anerica Castillo-Reyes in August 2016 allowing the prosecution lawyers to take the deposition of Veloso in Indonesia, where she has been de- tained since 2010.

The deposition, an alternative to Veloso’s oral testimony before the Philippine court that is expected to be taken this April 27, is in relation to the human trafficking case filed against the individuals who allegedly recruited her to work in Indonesia.

The decision penned by CA Associate Justice Ramon Bato was released after Veloso’s alleged recruiters Maria Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao sought the intervention of the CA following the Nueva Ecija’s dismissal of their motion to reverse the court’s resolution.

The CA gave weight to the arguments raised by Sergio and Lacanilao that allowing the deposition will violate their right to face their accuser as guaranteed under the 1987 Constitution.

The two, represented by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), also said in their petition that depositions are only allowed through written interrogatories under the Rules of Court, in civil cases, not in criminal cases.

The CA has also granted the petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General for an extension to file their answer to Sergio and Lacanilao’s petition.