Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque
MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is now implicated within the certified human trafficking case in opposition to Cassandra Li Ong and a number of other others in relation to the alleged unlawful actions of the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hub Fortunate South 99 Corp.
In a 15-page supplemental grievance affidavit filed on Monday, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Fee (PAOCC) and the Philippine Nationwide Police-Prison Investigation and Detection Group added Roque, Fortunate South 99 Corp., Whirlwind Corp., Mercides Peralta Macabasa and Ley Tan as respondents within the preliminary grievance filed on Sept. 10 in opposition to these concerned within the unlawful Pogo in Porac, Pampanga, which was raided earlier in June.
READ: Harry Roque: No instances filed in opposition to me on Pogos
Deputy Metropolis Prosecutor Darwin Cañete informed reporters that Roque was included attributable to his “lively participation within the furtherance of the criminality” of Fortunate South 99.
Based mostly on the grievance, Roque was listed because the authorized officer of Fortunate South 99 within the software of the Pogo hub for the renewal of its allow with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
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‘One thing not proper’
“Respondent Roque supplied his authorized companies to Fortunate South 99 regardless of having claimed that he solely lawyered for Whirlwind in an ejectment case, however the organizational construction of Fortunate South 99 and his actions converse in any other case,” the doc learn partly.
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It famous that Roque “benefited from the fruits of the trafficking in individuals operations” and different unlawful actions within the Pogo hubs however selected to maintain silent about it.
“As an officer of Fortunate South 99, respondent Roque is aware of that there’s something not proper about what is going on contained in the compound, and he deliberately withheld such info from the police or from any regulation enforcement brokers,” the grievance mentioned.
Cañete identified {that a} testimony from Pagcor assistant vice chairman Jessa Marie Fernandez on July 26, 2022, acknowledged that Roque and Cassandra Ong went to their workplace and that Roque “made a number of follow-ups along with her on the standing of the renewal of the playing license of Fortunate South.”
SHUTTERED GAMING HUB The Fortunate South 99 Pogo compound in Porac, Pampanga was raided by authorities in June. —Grig C. Montegrande
“So, mixed collectively based mostly on the investigation of PAOCC, officers and individuals who have one thing to do with the company ought to be made to reply and are supposed to clarify their respective actions with respect to the human trafficking actions of Fortunate South,” the prosecutor mentioned.
‘Trumped-up cost’
In a press release posted on his Fb web page, Roque mentioned the grievance filed with the Division of Justice was “nothing however a trumped-up cost.”
“It took PAOCC 4 months after the raid in Porac, Pampanga, to get witnesses to agree in concocting lies for the sake of implicating me … They’d no proof linking me in opposition to Pogos and clearly manufactured some now simply to implicate me,” Roque mentioned.
However in keeping with Cañete, the grievance filed is a chance for the previous official to clear his title and submit contravening proof.
In the meantime, Tan, who was additionally named as a brand new respondent, allegedly cooperated within the trafficking and different unlawful actions of the Pogo by turning into the pinnacle of the accounting division, as evidenced by the organizational chart that Fortunate South submitted to Pagcor.
In her capability, Tan “enabled” the company to commit human trafficking, Cañete mentioned.
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“You make corporations like this seem legit. You defend the facade of the company as a legit group doing extraordinary issues when, the truth is, they had been committing human trafficking, so her participation is crucial in sustaining the looks as within the preparation of books and accounts,” he added.
