Senator Edward Markey and a delegation of US lawmakers visited detained former Senator Leila De Lima on Friday.
A GMA News report said the eight-man delegation spent over an hour at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City, arriving around noon and leaving around 1:15 p.m.
Neither De Lima’s camp nor the US delegation gave any details on the meeting as of posting time, the report said. The visit was scheduled for Thursday, but due to a lack of court authorization, the delegation was unable to enter the detention facility, GMA News reported.
Earlier, two Muntinlupa courts hearing De Lima’s drug-related cases granted her plea to let the American legislators see her in detention.
The GMA News report said government prosecutors did not object to the request, but the courts prohibited recording the visit on audio or video.
Earlier, US Senators Markey, Marco Rubio, Dick Durbin, Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, and Patrick Leahy called for the immediate release of De Lima after some key witnesses recanted some allegations against her.
The former senator has been detained since February 2017 after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed three separate cases against her for her alleged participation in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison during her term as Justice Secretary. She has since denied the allegations.
Markey and DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla meanwhile discussed various areas of partnership to enhance further programs on transparency and protection of human rights.
Markey and Remulla had a meeting last Thursday in Manila, according to newly designated DOJ Spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano.
“Yesterday (on Thursday), there was a very good discussion on how US Senator Markey and his congressional delegate could help us in our programs to further transparency, further human rights,” Clavano said.
“And the Secretary was very receptive to the suggestions of the good US senator,” he added.
The DOJ official said the two officials “spoke about programs where the US and the Philippines could cooperate.”
“The US will provide support and assistance to our prosecutors to train them as well as the police, so that the prosecution of criminal cases will run smoothly,” he added.
During the meeting, Clavano said that Remulla told Markey of the Philippine government’s plan to amend Rule 112 of the Rules of Court on the preliminary investigations being conducted by government prosecutors.
He said Remulla explained that the aim of the amendment is for improved case build up and for the police to gather better evidence. “This is for us to be able to increase or to strengthen our conviction rate,” he said.
Clavano said that the secretary also informed the senator of the problems of government prosecutors, particularly on uncooperative witnesses.