The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei has appealed to judicial authorities for clemency in the case of a Philippine woman who was sentenced to death by the Kaohsiung District Court on Oct. 1.
The court handed down the death penalty after Nemencia Armia was convicted of stabbing her job broker to death in September last year. Armia was caught on closed circuit television disposing of the broker’s body in a garbage bag.
She also withdrew NT$660,000 from the broker’s bank account with an ATM card.
MECO Managing Director Antonio Basilio expressed his regret over the ruling in a statement and said he hoped the courts would overturn the ruling or reduce the sentence.
The Philippine representative said his office had sent personnel on regular visits to comfort Armia in jail and had consulted with her lawyers to ensure that her legal rights were respected.
Armia’s lawyers have filed an appeal with the Taiwan High Court.
MECO is also helping Armia’s family members to apply for visas to visit her in Taiwan and her brother and sister-in-law are scheduled to arrive sometime this week, the statement said.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs had said in Manila that because of the government’s “one China” policy, it could not assist in the case.
The Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, abolished the death penalty in 2006. Its representative offices have actively assisted Philippine nationals on death row in countries around the world, with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo appealing for clemency in several cases.
The efforts have born fruit, with some citizens on death row abroad having their sentences reduced.
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