JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday slammed Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for insinuating he was aware of the illegal operations of online gaming mogul Jack Lam as early as 2013, saying the opposition solon has no proof to back up his allegation.
“As usual, he has no evidence to back up his accusations. His factual allegation is false,” Aguirre said in an interview.
Trillanes earlier claimed the Justice secretary already knew about Lam’s illegal online gambling operation in the country as early as 2013.
The senator said Aguirre served as vice president and chief legal counsel of Clark Development Corp. during the Aquino administration, thus, the Cabinet official knew then that laws were being violated by Lam.
Lam operated an online casino in Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino in Clark, Pampanga which illegally employed Chinese workers.
They were later arrested after authorities raided the hotel on Nov. 24, 2016.
But Aguirre stressed he had never met Lam when he was general counsel of CDC.
“I never knew or met Jack Lam when I was General Counsel of CDC. I was with CDC for five months only, from the third week of March to August 31, 2013,” Aguirre said.
‘‘Where did he get false information that I stayed with CDC for three years? He should check his facts first,” he said.
Aguirre earlier accused Trillanes and Senator Leila De Lima of plotting to provide legislative immunity to ex-BI associate commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles in exchange for pinpointing him as involved in the bribery scandal.
According to him, the senators would not be able to pin him down or find any evidence to implicate him to the shakedown operation of Lam after his workers were arrested for working illegally in his online gambling business since Argosino and Robles had cleared him of any involvement.
He said even police general Charles Calima also cleared him of any involvement in the P50-million bribery scandal that eventually led to the firing of Argosino and Robles.
Aguirre said if Trillanes and De Lima persisted in their efforts to link him to the controversy, he was prepared to face them.
”I’m looking forward to the Feb. 7 hearing. Bring it on, Trillanes and De Lima,” Aguirre said.
Aguirre asked De Lima why Lam was allowed to operate his illegal online gambling business for a long time without the BI conducting any probe during her term as DoJ chief.
De Lima served as DOJ secretary from 2010 to 2015 when she resigned to file her certificate of candidacy for the Senate in the May 9 elections.
The BI is an attached agency of the Department of Justice.