The Philippines welcomes the decision of a Kuwaiti court to mete out the death sentence to the principal suspects behind the murder of Filipina domestic worker Joanna Demafelis.
The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait has been informed about the court decision, and is now waiting for a formal notification from Kuwaiti authorities, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a news statement.
“We take note of the swift action taken by Kuwaiti authorities in connection with the murder of our kababayan Joanna Demafelis,” Foreign Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said.
“This is a very important development in our quest for justice for Joanna,” Cayetano added.
“We continue to look forward to the cooperation of our friends not only in Kuwait but also in Lebanon and Syria in our efforts to bring this case to a close,” he said.
The secretary added Kuwaiti authorities informed DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola of the court decision during a meeting in Kuwait last Sunday but did not provide additional details.
The embassy, however, was able to obtain a copy of the court order.
The court authorities in Kuwait said principal suspect Lebanese Nader Essam Assaf and his Syrian wife Mouna Hassoun were tried in absentia last Sunday and sentenced to death for killing the 29-year-old Filipina domestic worker and hiding her body in a freezer.
The couple fled Kuwait immediately after the murder last year, but were identified after Demafelis’s frozen body was discovered in the refrigerator of the couple’s abandoned apartment last month. Both were later reported arrested in Lebanon and Syria, respectively.
Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa said Kuwaiti authorities have requested the extradition of Assaf, but it is possible that Lebanese authorities may decide not to turn him over and will try the case in Beirut instead.
Arriola said the department will provide lawyers to assist in the case should Lebanese authorities decide to hold the trials in Beirut.
She said the Philippine Embassy in Beirut is scheduled to meet with Lebanese authorities handling the case on Tuesday to see how they would prefer to proceed.