Two Saudi millionaires pay blood money to free Filipino

Riyadh, Dec 26: Two Saudi millionaires have reportedly paid SR225,000 in blood money to free a Filipino man who had killed an Indian national in a car accident.

The men donated the blood money requested by the victim’s relatives. The Filipino man was working for the firm of the Saudi citizens. A local court has sent a letter to the prison to release the Filipino and consider the case closed, according to a report published by an online news channel.

The Filipino man was driving a van in Al-Rass town in central Saudi Arabia, when he hit the pedestrian, killing him instantly, according to the report, but did not specify when the incident took place.

The Philippine Embassy has issued its thanks for the generous gesture. However, Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin Tago, in a message to Arab News on Friday, could not confirm the donation. “The money could have been made directly to the prison as an act of charity,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, the mother of Joselito Zapanta, the Filipino on death row in Riyadh, has pleaded for help to raise the rest of the blood money needed to save her son from execution.

In an interview, the mother said they have so far raised P23 million (less than SR2 million) of the P49 million (SR4 million) sought by the family of the Sudanese national Imam Ibrahim who was murdered in 2009 in Riyadh after an argument over rental payment.

According to Zapanta’s mother, the money collected can be sent to the Philippine Embassy’s account at a local Saudi bank.

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a non-profit organization assisting distressed overseas foreign workers, had issued an appeal to raise the blood money.