The Department of Justice has indicted Kazuo Okada and his allies for their illegal and violent takeover of Okada Manila in May, recommending the filing of grave coercion charges against the Kazuo Group.

In a 25-page resolution for the five separate complaints filed against the Kazuo Group, the justice department said probable cause has been established to file grave coercion charges against the defendants, mainly Kazuo Okada, Tonyboy Cojuangco, Dindo Espeleta, and Florentino "Binky" Herrera III.

The DOJ panel acted on the complaints filed by Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. officers James Lorenzana, Hajime Tokuda, Juan Pena, and Michiaki Satate, as well as legal counsel Estrella Elamparo.

"We are grateful that the Department of Justice has started the ball rolling in advancing justice for the victims of the brutal takeover in May. We will continue to work with our lawyers and exhaust all legal means to win this case against the Kazuo Group," TRLEI CFO, Treasurer, and Board Member Hans Van Der Sande said.

The Kazuo Group stormed Okada Manila on 31 May 2022, bringing in 50 armed men and officers to physically take over the integrated casino hotel. They cited a wrong interpretation of the status quo ante order issued by the Supreme Court for taking over the Okada Manila premises.

Physically represented by Cojuangco and Espeleta, as assisted by their legal counsel Herrera, the Kazuo Group forcefully booted members of the TRLEI board, employing force and intimidation that resulted in physical injuries to the victims. They also illegally installed themselves as members of the board of Okada Manila.

This, despite not having the approval of the Supreme Court to allow Kazuo Okada's Group to physically take over Okada Manila. "[T]hey exceeded and/or went beyond what the SQAO has simply allowed," the DOJ panel found.

"Ineluctably, respondents Kazuo, Cojuangco, Espeleta and Herrera are deemed to have taken the law into their hands," the resolution read. "[T]hey precipitously went ahead of their unlawful plan to take control and possession of Okada Manila in the guise of implementing the SQAO, which contains no specifications on what respondents can only do by virtue thereof."