De Lima fumes over allegation Wang Bo gave money for her campaign kitty

JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima denied on Tuesday allegation that accused Chinese crime lord Wang Bo paid for his release and gave huge sum of money for the campaign kitty of the Liberal Party (LP) for the 2016 election, particularly for her senatorial bid.

In an interview after the House of Representatives hearing on the alleged payoff in the Bureau of Immigration (BI), De Lima described as “reckless” The Standard report of Christine Herrera that quoted unnamed sources that Wang Bo coughed up money for her and the LP’s campaign kitty.

“It’s very reckless, all this talk about the purported alleged fundraising for the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law), alleged fundraising for the LP… Yung pagbanggit na naman ng Secretary of Justice na ngayon lang binanggit, ano na naman yan!” De Lima said.

“Siguro yung nasa likod niyan naniniwala na siguro tatakbo ako,” she added.

Pressed to confirm if she would run, De Lima quickly changed tune and said: “Hindi pa ako nagde-decide.”

During the hearing, Herrera said her sources told her Wang Bo bribed Immigration Associate Commissioners Gilberto Repizo and Abdullah Mangotara to issue his release after he was arrested at the airport for being the subject of a deportation order on charges of leading an illegal transnational gambling syndicate.

Herrera claimed that Wang Bo gave the BI P100 million to be allocated for the war chest of the LP and de Lima.

“My sources told me there was a negotiation meeting between LP officials, deputy commissioners Repizo, and a representative of Wang Bo. They said they needed a P100 million for the campaign of LP, (specifically) mentioned was Secretary De Lima’s senatorial campaign,” Herrera told the lawmakers, who laughed at her source’s allegations.

De Lima was seen massaging her head on hearing Herrera’s revelation.

Both Repizo and Mangotara had links to the administration party. They were appointed by LP Chair President Benigno Aquino III to the bureau.

Mangotara was a former Lanao Del Norte congressman under LP from 1995 to 2001.

Meanwhile, Repizo is the personal lawyer of LP Treasurer Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali. Herrera had reported that it was Repizo who allegedly handed Wang Bo’s money to Umali.

Wang Bo is wanted by the Chinese government for alleged transnational gambling and is now a subject of a deportation order, which was held in abeyance due to the bribery charges and the estafa charge lodged against him.

Attending the House probe, Wang Bo denied that he bribed Immigration associate commissioners Mangotara and Repizo for his release and that the alleged payoff was intended to finance the ruling administration Liberal Party’s campaign next year.

De Lima had intervened and reinstated the summary deportation order after Repizo and Mangotara outvoted BI commissioner Siegfred Mison for the release of Wang Bo.

The Chinese national also denied that the payoff was used to bribe lawmakers in the House of Representatives for the swift passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which seeks to create a more politically autonomous region for Moro Mindanao.

The House probe stemmed from The Standard newspaper report which alleged that Wang Bo gave the BI at least P100 million to secure his release after the bureau initially ordered his deportation, and another P440 million for lawmakers.

That P440 million was allocated to allegedly bribe the 292 lawmakers in the lower chamber (P1.5 million each) into voting the passage of controversial BBL draft.

Wang Bo is wanted for allegedly embezzling $100 million and is suspected of opening casinos for transnational gambling.

The Standard report said bags of cash were allegedly unloaded at the rear entrance of the House of Representatives and these were brought to the office of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

It further said the CCTV footage of the incident that supposedly occurred from Monday to Wednesday two weeks ago has been overwritten.

Belmonte has denied the accusations, saying he would resign from the House if the BBL payola would be proven true. AC