Immigration verifies if ‘pork’ respondents still in PH

DOJ Sec. Leila De Lima. Photo courtesy of UNTV

MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is now trying to verify if dozens of plunder case respondents, implicated in the pork barrel scam, are still in the country.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said in a state news report that the BI’s investigation on the whereabouts of the respondents are still on going.

The verification was done following the anti-graft court’s release of a hold departure order on the plunder case respondents earlier this week.

The alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam, Janet Lim Napoles and her two children and brother were covered by the court order forbidding flight outside the country.

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr as well as their former aides Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, Pauline Labayen and Richard Cambe are also among the list of those who were prohibited to leave the country.

On tuseday, the BI has alerted all international airports and seaports to restrain all the respondents under the hold departure order.

De Lima said the DOJ is now waiting for the verification report of the BI.

With reports from Philippine Star