FORMER presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has yet to file his counter-affidavit on the human trafficking case filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police – Criminal and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).
The PAOCC and the PNP CIDG filed trafficking charges against Roque and two others before the Department of Justice last month, saying that he benefitted from the fruits of the trafficking in persons operations and other illegal activities of Lucky South 99, the operator of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Porac, Pampanga, and Whirlwind and kept silent about these to the authorities.
DOJ Prosecutor Eugene Yusi said Roque was already notified of the complaint and the preliminary investigation on the case.
“Atty. Harry Roque has not yet submitted his counter affidavit. Presently, he has not yet participated or has been represented during the preliminary investigation,” Yusi told reporters in a chance interview after the preliminary hearing of the case Monday.
He said that if Roque fails to answer or appear in the investigation before the DOJ, they will have no other recourse but to resolve the complaint on the basis of the evidence that have been presented.
Roque told reporters when sought for comment that he has yet to receive a summon from the DOJ.
Roque said he also “haven’t been furnished with a copy of the complaint-affidavit.”
The former presidential spokesperson has gone into hiding after he was cited for contempt and ordered arrested by the quad committee of the House of Representatives for failing to submit documents related to its inquiry on illegal POGOs.
Among the documents requested by the joint panel from Roque were business records, tax returns, and his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
The Supreme Court last month denied the petition for the issuance of a writ of amparo filed by Roque’s daughter to stop the House probe, saying the writ “is not the proper remedy against congressional contempt and detention orders.”
Aside from Roque, also included in the complaint are Lucky South 99 security compliance officer Mercides Peralta Macabasa and accounting officer Ley Tan.
This follows charges of human trafficking filed last September 10 against Katherine Cassandra Li Ong and others stemming from allegations tied to the operation of the Lucky South 99.
Roque has dismissed the allegations raised in the complaint as mere “trumped-up charges” and were allegedly fabricated to satisfy those in the upper echelons on power.
He also questioned the timing of the filing, saying it could have been lodged to divert the attention of the public away from issues hounding the Marcos administration.