THE Department of Justice has asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate the tax liabilities of Chinese casino mogul Jack Lam for his illegal online gaming operations in Clark Field, Pampanga.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II stressed the BIR should determine the total tax liabilities of Lam as fulfillment of one of the conditions laid down by President Rodrigo Duterte for the tycoon’s return to the country, particularly for the gaming tycoon to settle his unpaid taxes.
According to Aguirre, should Lam fail to meet the conditions, the BIR findings could then be used for sequestration proceedings on assets and properties he left in the country.
“The BIR should investigate his [Lam’s] tax liabilities and make him pay. If he doesn’t pay, then his properties will be distrained and those are big ones like Fontana Park and Fort Ilocandia,” he said.
“If he doesn’t pay, the government will sequester and sell his properties thru public auction as his payment for the tax liabilities,” the DoJ chief said.
He said Lam may also decide to enter into a compromise deal with the government in settling his tax deficiencies, which is allowed under our laws.
Aguirre admitted Lam’s camp had sent feelers to the office of the President and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. for his return to the country.
The Justice secretary said Duterte had set specific conditions for Lam’s return—that he must settle his unpaid taxes, legalize his online gaming operation by applying for a license with the Pagcor, face the cases against him and undertake not to corrupt officials here.
Lam has been at the center of the controversy involving the alleged P50-million extortion by Bureau of Immigration officials supposedly for the release of 1,316 Chinese workers inside the illegal online casino in his Fontana Leisure Park in November last year.
The National Bureau of Investigation is conducting its probe on the extortion scandal and has summoned dismissed BI deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, who received the P50-million cash from Lam’s camp.
The NBI also summoned BI commissioner Jaime Morente, dismissed BI intelligence chief Charles Calima Jr. and former police C/Supt. Wally Sombero, who supposedly served as Lam’s middleman.
Argosino, Robles and Calima have all been dismissed from the BI. They surrendered the P30 million and P18-million cash they respectively received from Sombero, who also surrendered P2 million.
Calima has filed plunder charges against Argosino and Robles before the office of the Ombudsman. Argosino and Robles, on the other hand, filed criminal charges of corruption of public officials and violation of anti-wiretapping law before the Parañaque prosecutor’s office against Calima, Sombero and Lam.
