FORMER presidential spokesperson Harry Roque yesterday said there is no legal basis in the trafficking in persons case filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the PNP – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) against him.
Stressing that acting as a legal counsel for a firm or any person is not a crime, Roque said he will answer the complaint filed by the PAOCC and PNP-CIDG but said he would not physically appear at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“Ako po ay magsasampa ng aking depensa diyan, (ng) counter affidavit, pero may iba’t ibang pamamaraan po ang pinapayagan ng ating rules kung paano po gawin ‘yan
(I will file my counter-affidavit but there are other ways to do that that is allowed by the Rules),” he said in a Zoom interview with reporters
“Pu-pwede pong manumpa sa kahit kaninong piskal o kahit kaninong pu-pwedeng magbigay ng panunumpa (I can swear before any fiscal or anyone allowed to give the oath),” he added.
On Monday, the PAOCC and the CIDG filed trafficking charges against Roque and two others before the DOJ, 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 Porac, Pampanga offshore gaming hub, and Whirlwind Corporation.
The complaint noted that the former presidential spokesman kept silent about the illegal activities and did not report these to authorities.
Roque has a standing arrest warrant issued by the quad committee of the House of Representatives for his refusal to submit documents that were subpoenaed by the panel in relation to its ongoing probe on the illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) facilities in the country.
He has since gone into hiding, prompting the House to describe him as a “fugitive.”
Roque insisted he is innocent and said that the trafficking complaint against him would not stand in court as it supposedly lacks “essential elements of the crime,” particularly an allegation that he recruited someone to do something against their will.
“Wala pong ebidensya ng akto ng pagre-recruit, wala pong ebidensya nung pamamaraan ng paggamit ng dahas, wala pong ebidensya na ang ginawa ay para pag-trabahuhin ang mga tao, at wala pong ebidensya ng sabwatan o ng conspiracy (There is no evidence that I am involved in the recruitment, there is no evidence that force was used, there is no evidence that people were forced to work, and there is no evidence of conspiracy),” he said.
He maintained that he was a legal counsel of Whirlwind but not of Lucky South 99.
The case against Roque follows a first trafficking charge filed against Katherine Cassandra Li Ong and other Lucky South 99 officers.
The initial case, which was filed last month, alleged that Ong and the other accused, as officers, operators, and managers of the raided facility, of involvement in alleged trafficking activities.
