BI: Kenneth Dong offered P10M to be allowed to leave PH

Kenneth Dong

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) was mulling the filing of charges against its employee who allegedly offered his supervisor P10 million to allow controversial businessman Kenneth Dong to leave the country.

However, the agency declined to identify the employee who acted as Dong’s “emissary,” as well as the immigration supervisor who turned down the offer.

“I cannot disclose the identity yet since we are still conducting a case buildup against the emissary involved,” said BI port operations division chief Marc Red Mariñas.

He confirmed the bribery attempt that happened on Monday involving Dong, a Filipino-Chinese businessman linked to the P 6.4-billion “shabu” (crystal meth) shipment confiscated by the Bureau of Customs.

In an interview with the Inquirer, Mariñas said a low-ranking employee assigned to the BI main office in Intramuros, Manila, acted as an emissary on behalf of Dong.

The alleged bribery attempt happened on Monday between the employee and an immigration head supervisor in an airport in the Visayas region.

“Dong had his emissary call up the head supervisor on the phone and offered P10 million to facilitate Dong’s departure,” Mariñas said.

Dong was subject of an immigration lookout bulletin order over the shabu shipment.

Aside from bribery charges, the emissary might also face an administrative case in connection with the incident.

Mariñas said the employee in question was involved in other cases in the past, including the kidnapping of a South Korean national.

“I think they were aware that Dong may not be granted clearance to leave the Philippines, that’s why they offered a bribe,” he said.

Last November, Chen Julong alias Richard Tan was also prevented from leaving the country through the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark Freeport.