BI chief told to turn over 120-M extortion money
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morante has until today to turn over the missing 120 million of the 150 million that was
allegedly extorted from Macau-based casino tycoon Jack Lam.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II gave the order yesterday following Morente’s revelation that the latter himself gave the go signal to dismissed BI intelligence chief, retired police general Charles Calima Jr., to catch dismissed BI deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles receiving the P50 million.
In his memorandum to Morente, Aguirre told the BI chief that “in order to preserve the evidence of such extortion activity, you are hereby directed to turn-over within twenty-four (24) hours, the remaining 120 million to this Department for safekeeping or to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the agency conducting the investigation on the alleged extortion incident.”
Before being dismissed by President Duterte on the recommendation of Aguirre, Argosino and Robles turned over last December 13 the 130 million to the DOJ and claimed that the remaining 120 million were taken by Calima and Lam’s middleman, retired police general Wally Sombero.
Sombero claimed he received none of the 150 million which he himself handed to Argosino and Robles last November 27 inside the City of Dreams in Pasay City. He said that the money was extorted from Lam in exchange for the release of some of the 1,316 illegally working Chinese nationals arrested last November 24 inside Lam’s Fontana Leisure Park and Casino Hotel in Clark, Pampanga.
“It is understood that you are authorized to take any and all appropriate steps to secure and safely turn-over the aforesaid P20 million as directed,” Aguirre instructed Morente.
“You are likewise instructed to make a written report to the undersigned on your compliance with this directive not later than 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, December 22, 2016,” he added.
The secretary also directed Morente to furnish him “copies of any and all reports relative to the counter-intelligence operation made by Gen. Calima before he was terminated from service as well as the action that you took after receiving said report/s.”
Cleared by the chief Morente cleared the other night Calima by saying that the former BI intelligence chief ’s actions in monitoring the activities of Argosino and Robles were all reported to him.
He added that even before Argosino and Robles received the bribe money from Sombero, he had already authorized Calima to conduct counterintelligence activities on BI officials reportedly demanding money from Lam in return for the release of more than 1,300 illegal Chinese workers arrested last month at the Club Fontana casino in Clark, Pampanga.
He said that he was giving “guidance” to Calima all the time as it was part of his job as intelligence chief to undertake counter-intelligence operations on BI personnel suspected of involvement in corruption.
Morente also confirmed that even after the exchange of money at the City of Dreams last Nov. 27, Calima continued to report to him and that he gave the green light for the latter to entrap Argosino and Robles if the payment of another 150 million by Sombero to the two BI officials had taken place.
The BI chief described Calima as a seasoned police intelligence officer, thus he also permitted the latter to arrange the meeting wherein the former accepted 118 million from Argosino and Robles.
He said he also knew Calima was preparing to file corruption charges against Argosino and Robles, using the 118 million he received as evidence.
Sombero, an associate of the owner of Fontana casino Jack Lam, said Calima was his witness in filing extortion and graft charges against Argosino and Robles before the Office of the Ombudsman.
When asked why he did not defend Calima’s actions, Morente reasoned that he did not want to influence the actions of his superiors who immediately ordered the dismissal of Calima from the BI.
He added that eventually the truth will come out in the investigation now being conducted by the NBI.
Morente again appealed to the BI rank and file not to be demoralized or distracted by the bribery issue, stressing that they have a greater mandate to perform as gatekeepers of the country.