MANILA (BNO NEWS) -- Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III has pardoned a British national who was arrested and convicted of drug trafficking in the early 1990s, the presidential palace confirmed on Monday. He will be deported back to England.
William Robert Burton was arrested in December 1992 while attempting to smuggle 5.6 kilograms (12.3 pounds) of marijuana through Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. He was sentenced in 1993 to life imprisonment by a local court.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte told reporters during a news conference on Monday that Aquino has decided to grant a conditional pardon to Burton. He did not explain why Burton deserves a pardon, but reports have indicated that his health is deteriorating quickly after being diagnosed with an illness.
The pardon includes several conditions which Burton must abide to after he has been released from prison and turned over to the Bureau of Immigration. He has been ordered to pay a fine of 20,000 Philippine pesos ($430), he will accept a voluntary deportation back to England and promise never to return to the Philippines and pay for all transportation expenses.
Burton lived in the northern English village of Rufforth in North Yorkshire before his arrest in 1992.
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Monday, December 26th, 2011 at 5:56 am | BNO News | Leave a CommentSource: http://wireupdate.com/philippine-president-aquino-pardons-british-drug-trafficker.html
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