Pagcor must sue officials involved in POGO audit anomaly, says Gatchalian

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Win Gatchalian has called on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to initiate legal proceedings against officials involved in the anomalous hiring of a third-party auditor for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators’ gross gaming revenues (POGOs).

“The officials and employees of Pagcor who were negligent or colluded with Global ComRCI must be held responsible for the reason that the contract went to them even though they were clearly not qualified,” Gatchalian emphasized.

The call comes after Pagcor terminated its 10-year, P6-billion contract with POGO third-party auditor Global ComRCI due to “unlawful acts” and defaulting on obligations.

The decision follows an investigation conducted by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, which uncovered numerous irregularities in the manner in which Global ComRCI secured the contract with Pagcor to undertake a third-party audit of gaming revenues generated by POGOs.

Such alleged irregularities include the submission of a falsified bank guarantee from an unauthorized financial institution by the central bank to provide financial services in the country.

“We must prosecute government officials and employees involved in corruption to prevent such activities,” Gatchalian added.

Meanwhile, Pagcor has already referred the matter to the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) for the possible filing of administrative, civil, and criminal cases against Global ComRCI.

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