THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) are set to file charges with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against gaming tycoon Jack Lam.
In a chance interview with DOJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, he said the agencies will soon file cases against Lam for his unlicensed online gaming business at the Fontana Leisure Park in Pampanga, where more than 1,000 undocumented Chinese nationals were arrested.
"Magpa-file na sa office ko ang NBI and BI tungkol sa mga kaso niya (Lam) sa online gaming without license," Aguirre said.
The Justice secretary issued on Monday, December 5, a lookout order against the Chinese businessman even after the BI confirmed that he left the country last November 29.
The BI also cancelled Lam's Subic-Clark Investor's Visa (SCIV), a special visa issued by the government to foreign investors based in Clark Freeport in Pampanga in compliance to the directive of the Justice secretary.
The DOJ learned that some of the 1,316 arrested Chinese nationals working for Lam's gaming business are holders of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) working visa.
The CEZA visa is a temporary working and residency visa issued by the BI. It is a multiple entry visa that exempts visa holders from obtaining: Alien Certificate Registration, re-entry visa, special return certificate and Emmigration Clearance Certificate (ECC).
According to Aguirre, CEZA administrator and Chief Executive Jose Mari Ponce, in a letter dated December 1, informed BI chief Jaime Morente that "CEZA has not authorized any of its operators to setup office or any of their operations in the Clark Freeport," or anywhere outside Cagayan.
"CWV holders are not allowed to work in offices not registered or authorized by the CEZA. Such a violation is considered a ground for the cancellation of the company's registration and the CEZA working visa of the concerned expatriate," Aguirre said.
"We are studying all possible cases that we can file to prosecute the parties responsible for this apparent disregard of our laws, including but not economic to, economic sabotage," Aguirre added.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered the arrest of Lam for bribery and economic sabotage for allegedly bribing Aguirre and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation chair Andrea Domingo in relation to the arrest of the 1,316 Chinese national working at his online gaming business in Pampanga. (Sunnex)
