OMB chief Ricketts, 4 others on HDO list

THE Bureau of Immigration has included on its Hold Departure Order (HDO) list Optical Media Board (OMB) chairman Ronnie Ricketts and four other OMB officials following a Sandiganbayan order that bars them from leaving the country.

Ricketts and the other officials are facing a case for violation of the Anti-Graft Law.

Aside from Ricketts, other officials ordered to be barred from leaving the country, were OMB executive director Cyrus Paul Valenzuela, OMB Enforcement and Inspection Division (EID) head Manuel Mangubat, EID investigation agent Joseph Arnaldo and EID computer operator Glenn Perez.

Immigration Chief Siegfred Mison said the HDO is already implemented. He said they received the Sandiganbayan order at 11:50 Wednesday morning.

The Immigration chief said Ricketts and the others would be allowed to leave the country only if there is a clearance from the court.

Ricketts and the others were slapped with a case for graft and corruption for allegedly conspiring to “give unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” to private company Sky High Marketing Corporation when it allowed the return of confiscated Digital Video Discs (DVDs) and Video Compact Discs (VCDs) confiscated from the company.