Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

Harry Roque, a former Presidential Spokesperson, has faced calls to return to the Philippines to face criminal charges relating to a scandal involving a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).  

The call was made by Salvador Panelo, former Legal Counsel to the President. Roque would return to face criminal allegations linking him to an unlicensed offshore gaming business.

Roque, who has recently fled to The Hague, where he is now seeking asylum, claims he is being subjected to political persecution.

Panelo has publicly dismissed these claims, stating that merely criticizing the Marcos administration is not sufficient grounds for such an assertion. “If he truly believes he is innocent, he should come home and defend himself,” Panelo said during a televised interview in the Philippines.

The charges stem from Roque’s alleged involvement as a legal representative of Lucky South 99, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub based in Porac, Pampanga. 

Marcos was the President who officially outlawed POGOs in November last year.  

Last year, authorities raided the facility, rescuing 186 Filipino and other foreign nationals who were reportedly working there while being held against their will.

The recent congressional hearings on the matter revealed documents bearing Roque’s signature, which were submitted as evidence of his connection to the operator. 

He also admitted to helping Katherine Cassandra Ong, a registrant of Whirlwind Corporation, which leased the land used by the gaming hub and settled fees with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) in the process.

Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

Panelo stressed in his interview that the burden of proof still rests with the prosecution. If the accusations lack merit, Roque does not need to provide any further supporting evidence.

Nevertheless, he warned that due to the nature of the case involving human trafficking, it would require his immediate detention, with a strong case for his need to file a bail petition, too.

As a result of the case, Roque’s legal and financial affairs have been placed under the microscope. Paramount among these concerns is his own company, Biancham Holdings, whose assets suspiciously shot up during this time, from their original value of $2,200 in 2014 to over $1.2 million in 2018.

In a separate indictment, his wife, Mylah Roque, has also been implicated for allegedly signing lease agreements with Chinese nationals who are linked to another POGO hub in Bamban, Tarlac. 

To date, both have failed to comply with congressional subpoenas to provide supporting financial documents, prompting the House of Representatives to issue the recent arrest orders.

Top Crypto Casino in Saudi Arabia – BitStarz Ranked #1

Responding to the accusations, Roque argued that his legal services were limited and instead maintained that the charges were entirely politically motivated.

In a recent interview, he also went on to dismiss Panelo’s televised statements, stating he believed they reflect a “complete ignorance of asylum law.”

Following due process, the Department of Justice has begun legal proceedings to request an Interpol ‘Red Notice’ insisting that Roque must be immediately apprehended in order to be tried. 

If granted, it would help facilitate the government’s efforts to bring him back to face trial in the Philippines.

Commenting on the Roque predicament, Panelo said public perception would begin to turn against him the longer he remains abroad. “Whether that’s right or wrong, that would be the perception of people. So, if I were him, I would go home,” he remarked bluntly.

Despite their past roles, both working under the Duterte administration, Panelo has made it clear that he believes this is not a political witch-hunt but merely the enforcement of legal accountability.