Manila, Philippines – The Philippine government has submitted a request before the International Police for the issuance of a red notice against former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, says Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
In a statement on Sunday, PAOCC Spokesperson Dr. Winston Casio confirmed this move against Roque in relation to his alleged ties with illegal POGO operations and its violations.
Roque faces charges of qualified human trafficking over alleged wrongdoings in his capability as Whirlwind corporation’s legal counsel—the company who leased a land enabling the operation of Lucky South 99’s alleged scam hubs.
Since then, Roque has evaded the POGO inquiry of the House Quad Committee before leaving the country in September last year.
Roque has also repeatedly denied the alleged links with the issue, emphasizing that him leaving the country is within his rights as he has no cases during the time that he left the Philippines.
He argued that there is no evidence for the qualified human trafficking case against him and his legal representation for Whirlwind and Cassandra Ong is him lawyering his clients.
In a separate video, Roque insisted that his case and of dismissed Mayor Alice Guo’s are not the same, and that this is just a ploy of the administration to put him in a tight spot.
Meanwhile, in line with the requested red notice against him, Roque said that this does not equal an arrest warrant against him.
He argued that the Interpol, nor the Dutch police cannot make a move despite the supposed red notice, as his asylum request at The Netherlands remains pending.
Roque also said that he has no regrets in supporting former President Rodrigo Duterte, should it be the reason for a possible issuance of a red notice against him.
On the other hand, the Interpol has issued a red notice against Ong and Ronelyn Baterna over POGO-related human trafficking charges.
During the recent senate plenary, it was revealed that Ong had been released from Congress detention and from the Correctional, with no exact information on her current whereabouts.—Mia Layaguin, Eurotv News