How an Aussie saved the life of a Bali Nine jailmate - rescuing her from a firing squad just minutes before she was due to die. And now she's received the best news of all
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A mother-of-two who was spared from execution by 30 minutes after being convicted of trafficking drugs to Indonesia is on her way home to the Philippines under the same relocation deal as the Bali Nine. Filipina maid Mary Jane Veloso, 40, was due to be executed by firing squad alongside Australian drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran on April 30, 2015.
![[Veloso described her return home as being 'like a miracle when I have lost all hope']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/17/00/93215511-14164245-image-a-3_1734395332226.jpg)
But Veloso was saved with minutes to spare thanks to the efforts of a quick-thinking Melbourne barrister, Felicity Gerry, who provided her team with crucial legal advice that convinced Indonesian authorities she may have been duped into the crime. Ms Gerry became involved in Veloso's case on April 7, 2015 - purely by chance - after being emailed a petition aimed to save her from death row.
![[Veloso is seen in Indonesia's Wirogunan prison in 2015. She was duped into carrying a suitcase filled with drugs]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/23/93061615-14164245-image-a-30_1733959270765.jpg)
'I thought I'm not going to sign this (petition), I'm going to help,' Ms Gerry told Daily Mail Australia. 'I think it's part of our duty as a barrister that if you have some knowledge that can help a case you should share it.'. And she just happened to have the documents in front of her- human trafficking agreements signed by Indonesia and the Philippines - that were key to saving Veloso's life.
![[Melbourne barrister Felicity Gerry stepped in at the final hour]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/11/03/92860927-14164245-Melbourne_Barrister_Felicity_Gerry_stepped_in_at_the_final_hour-a-1_1733889303013.jpg)
Veloso was a single mum and an impoverished maid who had been duped into taking a job as a domestic servant overseas. Mary Jane Veloso waves to media before her transfer to Jakarta after Indonesia and the Philippines signed an agreements to repatriate her after she was jailed in 2010.
![[The Veloso family, including her two young sons]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/06/06/92860921-14164245-The_Veloso_family_including_her_two_young_sons_await_a_release_d-a-91_1733466544587.jpg)
