THE Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation are not the proper bodies to investigate the P50-million bribery by gambling mogul Jack Lam since they are both under Justice Vitaliano Aguirre II who has also been embroiled in the scandal, a senator said Thursday.
In a media forum, Senator Francis Escudero said an independent investigation should be conducted in the alleged corruption of public officials and extortion of P50 million from Lam in exchange for the release of the illegal Chinese working for him.
He said the investigation should be done by either the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group or the Office of the Ombudsman to make the results acceptable to the public.
The fairness and objectivity of a probe by either the DoJ or the NBI would be questioned because the two agencies are both under Aguirre.
“Actually I don’t expect him to be fair and objective. And I am relying on the Office of the Ombudsman if not the CIDG complaint filed by [dismissed Bureau of Immigration] Gen. [Charles] Calima to actually come out with something,” said Escudero.
But he said the investigation ordered by Aguirre was only part and parcel of their ministerial duty to look into it.
“Because if fhey don’t investigate, they might be accused of cover-up. So it is just alright to announce it, but we cannot really rely on it whatever their findings will be,” stressed Escudero.
While he personally doubts Aguirre’s innocence in the bribery for so many reasons and his questionable actuations, which he believes were not in consonance with the natural human reactions in those situations, Escudero commended the Justice secretary for being cooperative in the Senate hearings.
The Senate Blue Ribbon committee, chaired by Senator Richard Gordon, has been conducting a probe into the scandal, wherein former Deputy Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles were alleged to have received the P50-million bribe money from Lam through his known emissary retired police colonel Wally Sombero in the wee hours of Nov. 27.
The bribe was purportedly in exchange for the release of 1,300 illegal Chinese workers arrested at Lam’s online gaming firm at Clark Freeport Zone.
But Argosino and Robles insisted in the Senate hearings they took the cash as evidence for an investigation they were pursuing.
“Definitely, based on what I saw and heard about the demeanor of the witnesses, they definitely asked, they were definitely given, and they definitely accepted,” said Escudero.
“It is clear the reason they gave, however impossible it may sound, however weird it may be, however unacceptable it may be, I think they are just obligated to invent that story so that they could give an explanation to their children, their wives, their parents, their relatives or friends,” Escudero added.
Senators also raised suspicions over the link of Aguirre to the bribery as he was the one who personally met with Lam at Shangri-La Hotel in Bonifacio Global Cify hours before the payoff in Pasay CIty.
Aguirre reportedly told Argosino, whom he has been pushing to be the BI chief, to “take charge,” before leaving him with Lam and Sombero on Nov. 26, 2016.
Argosino then called up Robles and they met with Sombero around 9 pm at the City of Dreams.
The meeting dragged on for eight hours until the former two BI officials left with the P50 million bribe.
Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila De Lima also believe Aguirre was involved in the bribe scandal.
Argosino and Robles are both fraternity brothers of Aguirre and President Rodrigo Duterte at Lex Taliones in law school in San Beda Mendiola.
Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Gordon on Tuesday stressed the Philippine government had the final decision on issues involving the country’s sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction, adding that foreign embassies could, under international diplomatic practice, lobby and request – both verbally and in writing – action on issues of concern to the countries or nationals they represent.
He reminded Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, “As far as I’m concerned, when our immigration laws are violated, that is your call, not the call of any embassy. That must be clear.”
This was prompted by reports the Chinese Embassy had been breathing down immigration officials’ necks for the release of the Chinese nationals.
He emphasized that while it was understandable for an embassy to try to protect their citizens, for which the ambassador should be commended, the country’s officials should not allow themselves to be cowed when the country’s sovereignty was infringed through violation of its laws, especially by foreign nationals.
“It’s understandable that (embassies) will try to protect their citizens. But it’s still our decision. Insofar as we are concerned, it must be the government of the Philippines that must determine and its officials must be prepared to defend their action in protecting the country’s sovereignty, laws and processes,” he said.
“When we run immigration, we have to do it properly. And the only point I’d like to make here is that when our people do their job, they must be supported. I commend the Department of Justice for having arrested – this is the biggest so far that they’ve arrested, 1,316 foreign nationals,” he added.
At the same time, Gordon warned that when efforts at good governance were being thwarted by bribery, trickery, chicanery and fraud resulting in misfeasance, malfeasance and non-feasance, the Blue Ribbon Committee shall exercise its oversight functions over government agencies and public officials.
