By Arjay L. Balinbin

The main suspect in the killing of Filipina domestic helper Joanna D. Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait, is now in the custody of Lebanese authorities, Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Pedro O. Villa said.

“I have been informed by the Ministry of Interior yesterday [Feb.22] that the primary suspect in the killing of Joanna Demafelis is now in the custody of Lebanese authorities,” Mr. Villa said in a video that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) forwarded to reporters on Friday evening, Feb. 23.

“This is a positive development because as we all know President Duterte and Secretary Cayetano have been asking the assistance of Kuwaiti authorities in attaining justice for Joanna Demafelis,” Mr. Villa added.

In a statement, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said: “The President welcomes the news that Nader Essam Assaf is now in the hands of authorities in Lebanon.”

According to the foreign affairs department, “Nader Essam Assaf, a Lebanese national, who together with his wife, Mona, a Syrian national, are the principal suspects” in the murder of the 29-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Sara, Iloilo.

“Assaf and his wife have been the subject of an Interpol manhunt after Kuwaiti authorities discovered early this month the battered body of Demafelis inside a freezer in the couple’s abandoned apartment unit more than a year after her family reported her missing,” the department added.

According to Mr. Cayetano, “the Kuwaiti authorities conveyed the arrest of Assaf to Ambassador Renato Villa during a meeting at the Ministry of Interior on Thursday.”

“Assaf’s arrest is a critical first step in our quest for justice for Joanna and we are thankful to our friends in Kuwait and Lebanon for their assistance,” he added.

“In that meeting, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Al-Tarah, Assistant Undersecretary for General Security Affairs, disclosed to Ambassador Villa that Interpol Lebanon had notified Interpol Kuwait that Assaf is now in custody but that his wife is still at large and is believed to be in Syria,” the DFA said.

“Kuwaiti authorities requested the assistance of Interpol in locating and arresting the couple who they believed fled to Lebanon or Syria shortly after the torture and murder of Demafelis.”

The DFA likewise reported that Mr. Cayetano “expects Kuwaiti authorities to request the extradition of Assaf so he could stand trial in Kuwait.”

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