MANILA (PNA) — Amnesty from Iran is being sought by Philippine authorities for eight Filipino seamen who are presently imprisoned in that oil-rich country on charges of trafficking in diesel gasoline.

Executive Director Crescente Relacion of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Migrant Workers Affairs told reporters the Filipinos, with three other foreigners, have been meted a two-year sentence on September 23 last year and fined USD5.3 million by an Iranian court.

Relacion said the Philippines resorted to an appeal for amnesty because the fine imposed is too huge for the accused.

“We’re talking to the Iranian government to give them amnesty. We’re appealing to them because the fine is huge and we couldn’t afford it,” he said in a press conference.

Earlier, Leila Villabito, a sister of imprisoned seamen Samson Villabito, had met with Relacion to plead for DFA assistance in easing her stricken brother’s situation.

“It’s been more than a year, and we have no news about our brother,” Villabito said in a separate huddle with reporters.

She revealed that the DFA has not informed the family about his brother’s predicament. But at the meeting with Relacion, she said she was finally provided some documents.

It is not clear how the act of trafficking was carried out. DFA would not provide other details.