The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said it will request the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to revoke the passport of former presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
In an interview, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed that they will seek the cancellation of Roque’s passport to force him to return to the Philippines and face criminal charges filed by the DOJ.
Remulla admitted however, that he has yet to sign the request-letter to the DFA.
Remulla also expressed confidence that the Netherlands government will not tolerate the commission of crimes such as those lodged against Roque.
“I believe that they will not tolerate the commission of crimes that are being charged here and they see that the justice system is working in the sense that we have given due process to him to answer the complaint in Abu Dhabi… The panel of prosecutors was able to reach the conclusion that he was to be charged,” said Remulla.
Further, he explained that an asylum request is a ‘special process’ such that it must be finished first.
The erstwhile Malacañang official could be deemed as an “undocumented alien” if he fails to have an asylum and he will have to be deported if his passport was cancelled, Remulla explained.
Last week, the Angeles City Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 118 ordered the arrest of Roque, Cassandra Ong, and others in relation to the qualified human trafficking case involving the Lucky South99 Scam Hub in Porac, Pampanga.
The justice chief also disclosed they will also seek a “red notice” from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to hasten Roque’s apprehension.
Roque, who fled the Philippines in September after the House of Representatives cited him in contempt for refusing to attend hearings on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), currently seeks political asylum in the Netherlands.
Remulla, however, believes that the Netherlands “will not tolerate the commission of crimes that are being charged here.”
The DOJ filed qualified human trafficking and regular human trafficking cases against Roque for his alleged participation not just as a lawyer for Whirlwind, the company that leased its Porac compound to Lucky South 99, but also in organizing the assailed POGO firm.
The RTC said it found probable cause against Roque for violations under the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022.
