27 July 2005 – The Philippine Embassy in Manama, Bahrain reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Bahrain Higher Appeal Criminal Court has approved the request of the Embassy-hired lawyer Atty. Mohammed Al-Motawa to place OFW Grace T. Nodalo in the custody of the Embassy pending the appeal by the OFW of the adverse decision by a Bahraini court on her criminal case.

According to the report of Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Eduardo Pablo M. Maglaya, Ms. Nodalo is effectively out on bail and was placed by the court under the custody of the Philippine Embassy pending the court hearing on Ms. Nodalo’s appeal.  Ambassador Maglaya said that Ms. Nodalo’s appeal hearing is slated for September 2005 as the Bahraini courts are now in their annual summer vacation.

On 20 July 2005, the Philippine Embassy’s assistance-to-nationals officer Mr. Ramon C. Nerida and Ms. Nodalo’s husband Julio fetched Grace at the Isa Town Female Detention Facility.  Currently, the Nodalos are housed with members of the “Shepherd’s Flock” religious organization.

Earlier, Ambassador Maglaya informed the Department that a Bahraini court sentenced on 05 July 2005 Ms. Nodalo to six months imprisonment and deportation for providing false information to police authorities on the circumstances surrounding her 11-day “abduction,” which lasted from 14 to 25 June 2005.  Mr. Nerida and Ms. Nodalo’s lawyer Atty. Al-Motawa filed an appeal on the sentence on the same day.

Ms. Nodalo was earlier reported missing and feared to have been abducted by unidentified elements but was found alive and safe on the morning of 25 June 2005, sustaining injuries that were found by the court-appointed medical examiner to have been simulated and self-inflicted.

Prior to her disappearance, Ms. Nodalo was being investigated in connection with the disappearance of a sizeable amount of money from the Bahrain Financing Company (BFC), which employed her.  According to the Embassy’s report, two meetings had been conducted to find out who was responsible for the missing money and that both meetings failed to prove any connection between Ms. Nodalo and the missing money.

On 14 June, the day Ms. Nodalo disappeared, a third meeting was supposedly scheduled by the BFC at 9:00 in the morning.  (For background please see official DFA press releases SFA-AGR-431-05 dated 27 June 2005 and SFA-AGR-487-05 dated 15 July 2005.)  END