Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre has identified three conditions in allowing online gambling tycoon Jack Lam to come back to the Philippines.
He said, Lam must first pay the taxes he owes government.
He must also seek license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to operate his businesses.
Aguirre also said, Lam must also avoid corrupting the Filipino people.
The Justice secretary laid out these requirements during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing investigating the alleged P 50-million bribery-extortion deal made between Lam and former Bureau of Immigration (BI) deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles.
In the same proceeding, Sombero claimed that he was not facilitating the bribery in exchange for the release of Lam’s more than one thousand illegal Chinese workers from jail.
Sombero claimed that he was actually conducting an entrapment operation against the BI officials.
He cited the presence of CCTV footages as his alleged proof.
Committee Chairman Richard Gordon did not buy Sombero’s version.
He said, Sombero did not even have a mission order.
Gordon also expressed dismay over the way Aguirre handled the meeting between him, Jack Lam, Sombero and Argosino in November last year.
He said the Justice Secretary should have said “no” outright the moment he felt that Sombero was attempting to offer him bribe money, supposedly on Lam's behalf.
