Aguirre: De Lima, allies out to implicate me in BI bribery scandal

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday accused three senators of devising a scheme to implicate him in the P50-million bribery scandal at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) involving businessman Jack Lam.

Aguirre said Senators Francis Pangilinan, Leila de Lima, Antonio Trillanes IV were planning to offer legislative immunity to dismissed Immigration Associate Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles in exchange for their testimony against the Cabinet official.

"Gustung-gusto niyang ako'y ikabit sa bribery scandal na 'yan sapagkat gusto nilang makaganti sa mga kaso ni De Lima," Aguirre said in an interview on "News To Go," referring to the drug complaints pending against De Lima before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"As a matter of fact, may plano ang grupong 'yan na offer-an ng immunity either or both of them si Commissioner Argosino and Mike Robles para lamang daw ako ay idiin at ako raw ay may kinalaman diyan," he added.

Aguirre told GMA News Online that other senators informed him of the plan to provide immunity to the two dismissed BI officers from other senators.

"Bakit ba ang mga senador na 'yan gustung-gusto ako ikabit? Hindi siguro makapaniwala sina Trillanes at mga senador na 'yan na kung bakit tinatanggihan ko ang ganung kalaking pera. Siguro naisip nila kung ako ang nasa kanilang kalagayan I'm sure i-entertain ko 'yung pagtanggap ng suhol pero ibahin niyo si Secretary Aguirre," he said during the interview.

"Kung ako ay may intensyon na magpasuhol bakit the following day after the meeting binulgar ko na ang tangkang panunuhol sa akin?" Aguirre added.

Sought for comment, Trillanes said Aguirre was being "paranoid."

"Aguirre is being haunted by the truth that's why he is getting paranoid," the senator said in a text message to GMA News Online.

It was Trillanes who raised the possibility during the Senate investigation on the scandal on Monday that Aguirre was also interested in the multi-million peso bribe that Lam was allegedly offering to  government officials.

The senator insinuated that Aguirre tasked Argosino to deal with Lam's group on his behalf even as the justice chief claimed to have outrightly rejected the offer to protect Lam's online gambling interests during a meeting at a posh hotel in Taguig City on November 26 last year.

Aguirre denied making such instruction to Argosino.

"Wala akong sinasabing ganyan. Ang nagsabi niyan ay si Trillanes, 'yung ating sundalong kanin," Aguirre said. 

Based on his recollection, Argosino said Aguirre made the statement because the latter took offense to the alleged attempt of Lam's alleged middleman, retired police official Wally Sombero, to corrupt the justice secretary.

"Ang sinabi po niyang 'yan kasi na-offend na si Secretary Aguirre kasi nga kino-corrupt po ni Sombero. So umalis po siya tapos sinabi po niya nandiyan si Attorney Argosino. Kayo na ang mag-usap," the former BI official said during the hearing.

Argosino and Robles were also grilled over how the P50 million intended for the release of 1,316 illegal Chinese workers at Lam's Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino changed hands. 

The two former officials denied that there was extortion, insisting that they accepted the money to be used as evidence of corruption inside the BI. —Virgil Lopez and Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/ALG, GMA News