Businessman Atong Ang to attend Senate probe on P50-M bribery scam

Businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang was among the resource persons invited at the third hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday on the P50-million bribery scandal at the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Earlier media reports described Ang as a friend and business partner of gambling mogul Jack Lam, who allegedly gave P50 million to two former immigration officials through his representative, Wally Sombero.

The money was said to be in exchange for the release of undocumented Chinese workers at Lam’s Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino in Clark, Pampanga.

Also invited to the hearing were Lam’s interpreters–Alex Yu and Norman Ng–who were present when the businessman met with Sombero, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, and fomer BI Associate Commissioner Al Argosino at the Shangri La Hotel in Taguig last November 26.

After the meeting, Sombero met again with Argosino and former BI Associate Commissioner Michael Robles at a restaurant in City of Dreams where money supposedly changed hands.

Sombero was also invited to the hearing but he sent a letter to the committee, saying that he might not be able to make it because of health reasons again.

Also invited were Aguirre, Argosino, Robles, former immigration intelligence chief Charles Calima and BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, among others.

Argosino and Robles have admitted receiving the money from Sombero but said they would use it as evidence to build a case against Lam. CDG/rga