MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that a deal has been reached for Indonesia to return a Filipino death row inmate on drug charges who was nearly executed by firing squad but was granted a stay due to years of pleadings. from Manila.

Marcos thanked Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his government for granting a long-standing request from the Philippines that Mary Jane Veloso be brought home to serve her sentence in her country.

“Mary Jane Veloso is coming home,” Marcos said in a statement. “Arrested in 2010 for drug trafficking and sentenced to death, Mary Jane’s case has been a long and difficult journey.

It was not immediately clear when Veloso would be flown back to the Philippines, but Marcos said he looked forward to welcoming her home.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Immigration and Correction said in a statement that it was not aware of any agreement to release or transfer Veloso to the Philippines.

Evi Loliancy, director of Yogyakarta Women’s Prison, told The Associated Press that Veloso would remain “under our supervision at the Yogyakarta Correctional Facility until there is a specific order regarding her transfer from the High Office of the Prosecutor.”

Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told a news conference in Manila that Philippine authorities would discuss the legal terms of Veloso’s transfer with their Indonesian counterparts. He added that they did not ask or specify when she could be repatriated.

The Indonesian government has asked the Justice Department in Manila to formally request Veloso’s transfer to the Philippines, where she is believed to remain detained. The Philippine Justice Secretary sent the request letter to Indonesia, Philippine Justice Department spokesman Mico Clavano said.

“This is an example of an inmate moving from one criminal justice system to another,” Clavano said.

The move, Marcos said, “reflects the depth of our nation’s partnership with Indonesia – united in a shared commitment to justice and compassion.”

Details of the deal were not immediately disclosed, but if Veloso’s transfer goes through, it would eliminate the possibility of her being executed, as the Philippines, Asia’s largest Catholic nation, has abolished the penalty long dead.

In 2015, the Indonesian authorities decided Veloso towards an island prison where she and eight other drug convicts were to be executed by firing squad over the objections of the convicts’ home countries, including Australia, Brazil, France, Ghana and Nigeria.

Indonesia executed the other eight convicted of drugs.

Veloso’s case has caused public outcry in the Philippines, where her family and supporters say she is innocent and did not know that someone had hidden 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin in her suitcase discovered when it entered Indonesia.

Philippine authorities have filed criminal complaints, including human trafficking charges, against the illegal Filipino recruiters who arranged for Veloso to work in Indonesia, Clavano said, adding that she would serve as a crucial witness in the suspects’ trial on his return.

That Philippine case helped convince Indonesian authorities to delay Veloso’s execution and possibly consider transferring him to his country, Clavano said.

A poor housewife, Veloso traveled to Indonesia in 2010, where her goddaughter reportedly told her a job as a domestic servant awaited her. His sister also allegedly provided the suitcase containing the banned drugs.

Marcos said Veloso’s story resonated with many people in the Philippines, as “a mother trapped in the grip of poverty, who made a desperate choice that altered the course of her life.”

“Although she is held responsible under Indonesian law, she remains a victim of her situation,” Marcos said.

The Philippines is a global source of manual labor, including many poor women who abandon their families for better-paying jobs and better opportunities overseas. Alarming abuseparticularly of Filipino housekeepers, prompted the Philippine authorities to impose restrictions and safeguards, but the exploitations continued.

At least 59 Filipinos around the world face the death penalty, mainly on drug and murder charges, the Foreign Ministry in Manila said.

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Associated Press journalist Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.