Indonesia is reviewing a formal request from France for the transfer of a death-row inmate back to his home country after spending 20 years in prison in the Southeast Asian nation over drug charges.
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Frenchman Serge Atlaoui, 61, was arrested in 2005 after being found at a drugs factory manufacturing the psychedelic drug MDMA on the outskirts of Jakarta.
Authorities accused him of being a “chemist” at the factory, but Atlaoui – a welder by trade – has maintained his innocence, claiming he was only installing machinery in what he believed to be an acrylics plant.
Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, told reporters on Sunday that the Indonesian government was currently reviewing France’s official request and would coordinate further actions in January.
“A more detailed discussion will be carried out by officials under the minister by the Indonesian government. Likewise, the French Ministry of Justice may also involve staff from the French embassy in Jakarta,” he said.
French diplomats also confirmed to media agencies that talks had been under way for Atlaoui, while his lawyer Richard Sedillot said the French government’s intervention in the case had brought “immense hope”.