THE Department of Justice (DoJ), in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), hosted the negotiations for the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons (TTSP) between the Philippines and Sri Lanka in Manila on Aug. 12 and 14, 2024.

Apart from discussing MLAT and TTSP, both sides also deliberated on the extradition treaty and tentatively agreed to convene the next round of negotiations in Colombo next year.

The negotiations were successfully concluded with the agreed minutes signed in the presence of the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Philippines Chanaka Talpahewa.

The negotiating panel from Sri Lanka was led by Attorney General of Sri Lanka Parinda Ranasinghe (Jnr.) and joined by Additional Secretary (Legal) Piyumanthi Peiris from the Ministry of Justice, Assistant Legal Adviser Sanjika Kammanankada from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Philippine side was led by DoJ Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan, Assistant Chief State Counsel Mildred Bernadette Alvor, State Counsel Leilani Fajardo-Aspiras, State Counsel Florina Agtarap, State Counsel Don Rick Ventura, State Counsel Chaveli Joan Labrador-Batoon and DFA officials led by Directors Shiela Mae Briones and Ameroden Daudey Tago from the Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs, and Assistant Director Bojer Capati from the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs.