THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Tuesday that it has received raw information that former presidential spokesperson-turned fugitive Harry Roque has left the country.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago made the disclose in response to the late-night press conference of Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday where she dropped broad hints that Roque, a subject of an arrest order issued by the House of Representatives, has fled.
“Look at Secretary Harry Roque who didn’t want to leave the leave because his children would be left behind, but was forced to go abroad,” the Vice President said in Filipino.
Asked for confirmation in a dzBB interview if Roque has really left the country, Santiago said, that was the information they got, although still unverified.
Santiago refused to bare further details of the matter.
The House QuadComm cited Roque in contempt and ordered his detention on Sept. 13 after he refused to submit documents that would supposedly explain the sudden increase of his wealth.
Roque initially agreed to submit documents that would explain the surge of his assets under the family-owned Biancham Holdings and Trading from P125,000 in 2014 to P3.125 million in , and P67.7 million in 2018.
Roque tried to evade the questions by accusing Congress of “power tripping” following the contempt and arrest orders issued against him due to his alleged link to illegal operations of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).
Roque, a long-time ally of the Duterte family, insisted that he was not a fugitive.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) earlier said it had no information of any recent travel made by Roque.
