The Department of Justice (DOJ) said yesterday that there is not enough evidence to link former President Rodrigo Duterte to the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.
“There is not enough evidence to link President Duterte to illegal POGO operations. Clearly, when it comes to POGOs, we tackled illegal POGOs at the level of each illegal enterprise,” Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said in a forum organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute.
“At the level of individual POGOs, we haven’t seen yet any evidence to connect former President Duterte,” he said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros had presented during the final Senate hearing on POGO operations last month a matrix of individuals linked to the illegal POGO operations.
Among them is Michael Yang, who served as the presidential adviser under the Duterte administration.
“Presently, the association is not enough to connect him (Duterte)… and to bring up an investigation,” Ty said.