Abu Dhabi: The mother of a Filipina sentenced to death in Al Ain said she is hoping her daughter would be acquitted once the Court of Appeals gives its verdict on April 12, after it was postponed on Monday morning.
The Al Ain court deferred its judgement on the case of Jennifer Dalquez on Monday after one of the two sons of the victim failed to appear in court. The judge ordered their appearance in court a month ago.
Jennifer Dalquez |
Dalquez, 30, a Filipino domestic worker based in Al Ain, was given the death penalty by the Al Ain Court of First Instance in May 2015 after she was found guilty of killing her employer in December 2014.
The mother of two claimed it was act of self-defence because her employer had tried to rape her.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila flew in Dalquez’s parents, Abdul Hamid and Rajima (also known as Alicia), both 53, to Abu Dhabi on Sunday to attend the hearing on Monday.
The Philippine Embassy through its Assistance to Nationals Section is assisting the family in the capital.
“I am glad that I saw my daughter today. She gained a bit of weight and she looked better than the last time we saw her. Although I didn’t get a chance to talk to her in the courtroom, I am hopeful that she would be acquitted and sent home to be with her two children soon,” Rajima told Gulf News.
Rajima said they are scheduled to visit Jennifer in jail on Wednesday, their second such visit since their daughter was imprisoned in 2014.
“All I want to do is to hug her and tell her to keep her faith that Allah will grant her freedom. Her two sons, aged 8 and 6, are excited to see her,” Rajima said.
The third of seven children, Jennifer came to the UAE in 2011 to provide a better future for her children, then aged two and seven months, Rajima said. She had not come home since.
“She promised me she was going home for good in January 2015. She said she would buy a house for her family so they could start life anew. Her dreams were shattered when all this happened just a month before her scheduled trip home.”
Rajima thanked the Philippine government for extending help to their family again. She said she and her husband will fly back to the Philippines on Friday and will wait for the court decision there.
“We are grateful to our government for helping our daughter. They have been very kind to our family from the very beginning,” she said.
Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Constancio Vingno Jr said the embassy is doing its best to assist the family. Dalquez is receiving help through the Legal Assistance Fund for her lawyer’s fees and Assistance to Nationals Fund for her family’s trip in the UAE.
“The family is well informed about the case. They know that if the decision on April 12 is unfavourable, we will still appeal the verdict at the Supreme Court,” Vingno said.
