(CNN Philippines) — Philippine authorities held a two hour meeting on Tuesday (May 12) with Indonesian lawyer Rudyantho, who represents convicted drug mule Mary Jane Veloso in her drug case in Indonesia.
Rudyantho flew to the country to gather evidence that can be used for another judicial review of Veloso’s case.
According to the Indonesian lawyer, commutation or reduction of Veloso’s sentence is still a possibility.
“I just informed them I will come to Manila to find out all information, but this is not a formal invitation. Since I represent MJ, I have good communication with government,” Rudyantho said.
The human trafficking and illegal recruitment case against Veloso’s recruiters was also discussed with Rudyantho, who will be in the country until Thursday (May 14).
He confirmed that he plans to meet with the police to talk more about Veloso’s recruiters, Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao.
Rudyantho added that the Indonesian government has not given a timeline on Veloso’s reprieve.
Related: Veloso’s execution suspended
“We’re just trying to find out the real story — what happened in KL [Kuala Lumpur] when Sergio recruited her to KL and sent her to Indonesia,” the Indonesian counsel explained.
Meanwhile, the special panel handling Veloso’s complaint against her recruiters also met to talk about developments in the probe.
Justice Secretary Leila De Lima has instructed Undersecretary Vicente Salazar to hold regular meetings with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to get updates on evidence gathered.
Investigators are also verifying hand-written letters sent to the NBI, supposedly by other victims of Sergio.
Related: Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiter surrenders
“We’ve received a few — some have sent handwritten letters narrating their experiences. The Department of Foreign Affairs also referred some letters to us for verification or validation,” De Lima said.
Veloso’s complaint against Sergio and Lacanilao is now under preliminary investigation by the Department of Justice.
