It can now be revealed that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is out of the country, in Abu Dhabi, in fact, where the counter-affidavit he submitted to the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday was notarized.

According to Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon, the counter-affidavit concerning the qualified trafficking complaint filed against Roque was notarized in Abu Dhabi on 29 November.

“A counter-affidavit was submitted by the lawyers of Harry Roque. It appears he had a document notarized, but he was in Abu Dhabi,” Fadullon said.

Fadullon made the statement following the preliminary probe into the qualified trafficking complaint filed against Roque, Cassandra Li Ong, authorized representative of the POGO firm Lucky South 99 and others.

Fadullon said a clarificatory hearing will be scheduled to confirm Roque’s whereabouts.

Roque, facing an arrest order issued by the House of Representatives, did not personally attend the probe.

An Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order was issued against Roque and 11 others in August.

The counter-affidavit was filed to dispute allegations by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) that linked Roque to the alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga.

Roque, accused of qualified human trafficking, called for the dismissal of the complaint, describing his inclusion in the case as a “mere afterthought.”

“My inclusion, as well as the inclusion of Whirlwind Corporation and Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc., was an afterthought intended to address the lack of evidence in both the original and supplemental complaints,” Roque stated in his 22-page counter-affidavit.

He said the complaints failed to establish any overt act of trafficking or conspiracy on his part.

He argued there was no evidence connecting him to human trafficking activities, such as recruitment, transportation, or harboring of individuals — elements necessary to substantiate the charges.

Roque said the PNP and PAOCC relied solely on his presence at a meeting between Ong and executives of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) for its evidence.

He maintained that the meeting was lawful and unrelated to any alleged trafficking activities.

“That meeting on 26 July 2023 was for a legitimate purpose, i.e., to discuss the arrears of Lucky South 99 and how Pagcor was intending to deny the pending application of the said corporation for the renewal of its Internet Gaming License should the arrears not be settled,” the counter-affidavit read.