Aguirre relieved that Senate panel cleared him in extort rap

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. PHOTO BY JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has expressed relief that the Senate blue ribbon committee headed by Sen. Richard Gordon cleared his name in the alleged P50-million extortion case involving officials of the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

“Senator Gordon confirmed what is true all along, I am innocent of any irregularity in this case,” Aguirre said in a statement on Friday as he pointed that “my integrity is very important to me.”

“I am thankful to Senator Richard Gordon for clearing my name of any involvement in this matter or in any of the issues heard before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. My integrity is very important to me,” Aguirre said.

He reiterated that he will do his best to preserve the trust and confidence as secretary of the Department of Justice.

“Moving forward, let me assure President (Rodrigo) Duterte and the Filipino people, that I will endeavor to keep and to preserve the trust and the confidence reposed in me as your Secretary of Justice,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre was accused of having knowledge of the P50-million bribe from online gambling tycoon Jack Lam.

But Aguirre said he only met Lam and his middleman, retired police official Wally Sombero Jr., to discuss the request to release Chinese nationals illegally working in the country.

Lam owns an online casino called Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino in Clark, Pampanga which employed around 1,316 Chinese nationals working without permits. The workers were arrested last Nov. 24, 2016.

Gordon said he saw nothing wrong with Aguirre meeting both Lam and Sombero, noting that it was done in a public place—Shangri-La at the Fort Manila.

“I would not have the proof to say that he is involved,” Gordon told reporters in an interview after the fifth hearing on the issue.

Aguirre previously said that he only agreed to meet Sombero at the hotel because he was also attending an awarding ceremony at the same venue and that it was merely to save time and convenience. RAM/rga