Newly appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III has urged former Presidential Spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque to return to the Philippines and face the charges against him.
Torre emphasized that as a lawyer, Roque should submit himself to the court instead of taking his case to the streets through rallies.
He also suggested that Roque, along with 49 other individuals implicated in the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) case, should surrender to authorities.
The PNP chief noted that the Philippine government is coordinating with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) as part of efforts to facilitate Roque’s repatriation.
Torre highlighted a whole-of-government approach, including the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) canceling Roque’s passport and those of other accused individuals to restrict their movement outside the country.
Currently, two out of the 51 accused have been arrested and are in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), while 49 others remain at large.
Roque and several co-accused face charges related to the illegal operations of Lucky South 99, including qualified human trafficking, a non-bailable offense under Philippine law