MANILA– Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra has suspended for three months Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers and employees who extorted PHP9.2M from Korean nationals.
In a statement, DOJ spokesman Undersecretary Markk Perete said Secretary Guevarra, “after evaluating the sworn statements of the Korean nationals as well as the documentary evidence provided by the BI, found a prima facie case against said officers and employees for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service”.
Perete said the incident, which involved up to 18 immigration officials, were also ordered to answer within seventy-two (72) hours the charges against them.
Some 15 Korean nationals alleged that on 6 March 2019, they were apprehended by BI agents and, under threat of detention, were forced to shell out various sums of money.
“Meanwhile, the Office of the Secretary is evaluating the proper course of action as regards job order contractors who allegedly participated in the extortion of the Korean nationals,” Perete said.