Gordon on Php 50-M BI bribery scandal: ‘There is intent to take’

Gordon on Php 50-M BI bribery scandal: ‘There is intent to take’ (Photo: Dick Gordon/Facebook) 

MANILA—Sen. Richard “Dick” Gordon on Monday said that he believed that the two ex-officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) had an “intent” to accept the Php 50-million bribe offered to them by Macau-based gambling tycoon Jack Lam in exchange for the release of over 1,000 illegal Chinese workers.

Gordon, chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, made this statement after the five-hour inquiry into the alleged BI bribery scandal involving its officials, ex-BI associate commissioner-lawyers Al Argosino, and Michael Robles.

“Obviously they are hiding the money. They took it home. It seems like there is an intent to take—asportation,” Gordon told reporters in an interview referring to the unlawful removal of goods from where they are stored.

Argosino admitted that he and Robles brought home paper bags which contained millions of cash but insisted that they actually “refused” the bribe and only kept them “as evidence.”

Several senators including Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao among others however, found it hard to believe that their claims were true.

“They have lots of explaining to do,” Gordon said noting that Lam’s middleman, retired police senior supt. Wally Sombero Jr. could clear things up during the next hearing scheduled on Feb. 7.

During the senate inquiry, Argosino said that from the PHP 50 million cash, he kept only Php 28 million while Robles took Php 20 million.

He said that the remaining Php 2 million was taken by Sombero for the release of the illegal Chinese workers.

After reports from the media on an alleged bribery scandal arose, Argosino and Robles, and Sombero returned the money to Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Ombudsman, respectively on December.