Six days after their arrest, two Shanghai-based employees of scandal-ridden mining company Rio Tinto were allowed to meet their lawyers for the first time.

"After the meeting, I have a lot more information about the case and the investigations now, but I can't say anything more at the moment," said Tao Wuping, a lawyer representing employee Liu Caikui.

Tao is known nationwide for defending Shanghai's former richest man, Zhou Zhengyi, against charges of economic crimes from 2003 to 2007.