National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago confirmed on Tuesday they had received unverified reports suggesting that former Malacañang spokesperson Harry Roque has left the country.

Santiago made the statement following Vice President Sara Duterte’s late-night press conference on Saturday where she hinted that Roque, who is the subject of an arrest order from the House of Representatives, may have already left the country.

Duterte was quoted as saying, “Look at Secretary Harry Roque, he didn’t want to leave the country because his children would be left behind. But look at him, he just left.”

In an early morning radio interview, Santiago responded to questions about Roque’s possible departure, saying, “That’s also our information, but it’s not confirmed yet. We have information like that, but we should not discuss it publicly. Apologies.”

Roque was cited in contempt by the House Quad Committee on 13 September after he failed to submit documents to explain the significant increase in his wealth. This followed his initial agreement to provide documents that could clarify the rise in value of his family’s Biancham Holdings and Trading assets from P125,000 in 2014 to P67.7 million in 2018.

Roque had accused Congress of “power tripping” over the contempt and arrest orders, which he believed were linked to his alleged involvement in the illegal operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. He has repeatedly denied being a fugitive.

The Bureau of Immigration previously stated there were no records of Roque leaving the country.