MANILA, Philippines – Former Malacañang spokesperson Harry Roque has left the country and was supposed to be in the Middle East, the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed on Tuesday, December 3.

Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said Roque, who faces a non-bailable trafficking complaint, has subscribed to his counter-affidavit while in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

“According to the panel, a counter-affidavit was submitted by the lawyers of Harry Roque. It would appear that he had a document which was notarized, pero doon siya sa (but he was there in) Abu Dhabi,” Fadullon told reporters.

Roque subscribed to his affidavit before the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi on November 29.

In a video posted on his Facebook page, Roque claimed that he had already left the UAE.

“Well, I had to have my sworn statement notarized. I came to [the] UAE just for the purpose of notarizing that,” Roque added, but refused to answer media queries on how he was able to leave the country.

Roque was able to leave the country despite a standing House quad committee arrest order. The panel is probing Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). The mega panel again ordered his arrest on September 12 after he was cited in contempt due to non-compliance to the panel’s subpoena.

Prior to that, the House quad committee ordered his detention within the House premises in August, after he was cited in contempt for lying about his absence from an August 16 congressional inquiry.

Roque also successfully evaded Philippine authorities despite an immigration lookout order against him. Hold departure orders (HDOs) are stronger mechanisms that can prevent a person from leaving the country, while an ILO merely places people on high alert with stricter mechanisms to monitor where they are going.

It remains unclear why Roque decided to go to the UAE for the notarization process.

Another former Duterte official, Michael Yang, owns properties in Dubai. Yang and business partner Lin Weixiong — both tagged in the controversial Pharmally scandal — had bought P1 billion worth of properties in the Middle East, a Rappler investigation found. Like Roque, Yang’s brother, Tony Yang, is also implicated in illegal POGOs.

Although a case has yet to be filed against Roque, the DOJ’s other option was to apply for a precautionary HDO (PHDO) – a fairly new HDO meant for prosecutors to prevent flight of a suspect while they resolve complaints. 

This what also happened in the of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo who, like Roque, was also tagged in the POGO mess. Guo successfully left the country even though she was in the lookout bulletin.

Roque, Cassandra Ong, and others face non-bailable criminal complaints over their alleged ties to POGO firm Lucky South 99, raided by authorities earlier this year. – Rappler.com