Dubai: The mother of a Filipina sentenced to death in Al Ain hopes a verdict on their appeal would be issued on Wednesday after the hearing had been postponed three times.
Rajima Dalquez, the mother of Jennifer, a domestic worker who was sentenced to death in May 2015, said she is hopeful that the hearing on Wednesday would push through and would not be postponed anymore.
The final hearing was supposed to be held on February 27, and was postponed to March 27 after the judge ordered for the two sons of the victim to appear in court. When they failed to be present on that date, the judge postponed it to April 12 and then moved it again to April 26 for the same reason.
Jennifer, 30, was sentenced to death by the Al Ain Court of First Instance in May 2015 after she was found guilty of killing her employer in December 2014. She claimed it was self-defence because her employer tried to rape her.
“Every time her hearing date nears, we get extremely troubled. We don’t know what to do. We have no assurance on whether or not the hearing would push through and if we would see our daughter again,” Rajima told Gulf News in a phone interview from Davao in the southern Philippines on Tuesday night.
Rajima was travelling to Manila on Tuesday night to address the media on Wednesday while they wait for the verdict to be issued.
“And then when we would hear that the hearing would be postponed again, it prolongs our agony.”
Postponing the hearing to give a chance for the two sons of the victim to appear in court is a normal judicial procedure.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Constancio Vingno earlier told Gulf News that the embassy would continue to assist Jennifer and would appeal her case in the Supreme Court should the verdict not be in her favour on Wednesday.
