Serge Atlaoui was sentenced to death in 2007 for his role as a chemist in an ecstasy factory that was capable of producing 100 kg (220.5 lb) of illegal pills every week. Atlaoui has long maintained his innocence,

Serge Atlaoui (center), a Frenchman on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for drug offenses, looks on during a press conference at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, after leaving Salemba prison ahead of his repatriation to France on Feb. 4. (Photo: AFP)

Arrested in 2005 and sentenced to death in 2007, Atlaoui has long maintained his innocence, claiming he was unaware of illegal activities on his worksite. View on euronews

Jakarta. Indonesian authorities on Tuesday escorted an ailing French national who has been on death row in the Southeast Asian country to the airport in Jakarta as his return to France got underway following an agreement between the two nations.

A French national held on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for drug offences is returning to France on Tuesday as part of an agreement made between both countries. Serge Atlaoui, 61, was accused of being a "chemist" by Indonesian authorities and arrested in 2005 at a factory in Jakarta, where dozens of kilos (pounds) of drugs were found.

Indonesia has repatriated Serge Atlaoui, a French citizen on death row for drug offenses. Convicted in 2007 for his role in an ecstasy factory, Atlaoui maintained his innocence. His return follows humanitarian grounds due to cancer.

A Frenchman on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for drug offences left prison on Tuesday ahead of his transfer to France, officials told AFP.

Indonesia has signed a deal to send home an ailing French national on death row for drug offenses. Serge Atlaoui, 61, has spent almost 20 years in an Indonesian prison.

Indonesia was set to repatriate a Frenchman on Tuesday who has spent two decades on death row for drug offences, a senior minister said, joining a list of long-term prisoners sent home by Jakarta in recent months.