Harry Roque allegedly linked to Lucky South 99 operations

Following the conviction of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Dr. Winston John Casio said that Atty. Harry Roque is not merely lawyering regarding his alleged involvement in the human trafficking and abuse linked to Lucky South 99 Philippine Offshore Gaming.

Casio cited that Alice Guo’s case theory was sustained by the regional trial court. Under their case, you do not need to have direct participation in trafficking itself; however, knowing that the real purpose of your business is the said act constitutes involvement.

According to Casio, a similar case theory was used to file a complaint against Roque and Cassy Ong, providing enough reason to say that Roque is not just “mere lawyering.”

“This one we are convinced that Mr. Roque and Cassidy Ong established their business for the purpose of conducting trafficking of persons; that is why we are going to pursue them,” Casio said in a mix of English and Filipino.

On Friday, Sen. Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said that Roque is counting his days outside the country as the Department of Justice (DOJ) moves to cancel his passport.

“Since there is a warrant for his arrest, what the DOJ did is cancel Roque's passport and inform Interpol through a Red Notice to arrest him,” Sen. Gatchalian said in Filipino.

Casio explained that the formal presidential spokesperson case is complicated as Roque applied for political asylum in the Netherlands. However, the PAOCC said they applied for a red notice against Roque through the Philippine Center on Transactional Crime (PTC).

As of now, the government has a yellow notice alert against Roque, which allows Interpol to track his status and location.

Casio emphasized that there is no “political prosecution” against Roque. He noted that at the early stage of the case, when Roque’s name emerged, Roque explained to the media that there was no legal basis to prosecute him.

This changed after Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Alejandro Tengco and Atty. Jessa Hernandez said that Roque went to PAGCOR to appeal.

“There is no political prosecution in that. In fact, we admit that from the start we could not file a case against him because there was no evidence. However, when he spoke in Congress, and Mr. Tengco and Jessa Hernandez came forward, the picture changed,” Casio said.

Casio added that there is no timeline yet for when Roque will return, as it depends on Interpol’s decision on the red notice request or if he chooses to surrender voluntarily.