THE camp of retired Police Senior Superintendent Wally Sombrero has denied the claims of the two immigration officials that the P50 million given to them was part of the case build up against Jack Lam.

In a chance interview at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), lawyer Ted Contacto, Sombrero's legal counsel, belied the bribery accusations of Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioners Al Arosino and Michael Robles against Lam and Sombrero.

Contacto also questioned the two officials on the timing of exposing the bribery attempts.

"Ang question dun, bakit ngayon lang? So ang sabi ni Wally paano kung 'di inexpose ni Mon Tulfo, magkakasolian ba ng pera?" Contato said.

The bribe offer was revealed by the officials only after a column written by Ramon Tulfo, exposing the extortion try of the two, was released last Saturday.

Sombrero had earlier claimed that Argosino and Robles asked for P50 million in exchange for the release of 600 of the 1,316 undocumented Chinese nationals arrested at Lam's online gaming operation in Fontana Leisure Park and Casino in Clark, Pampanga.

According to the former police official, aside from the hotel's CCTV cameras which recorded their transaction, he was also able to record the conversations between him and the commissioners.

According to Contacto, Sombrero will release a statement on the issue this coming Friday.

Aside from the bribery accusations of the two officials, Sombrero, an associate of Lam, is also accused of bribing Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation chair Andrea Domingo in relation to the arrest of the Chinese nationals on November 24.

Sombrero is facing bribery charges and violation of the Anti-Wiretapping Act before the Parañaque Prosecutors Office, along with Lam; Lam's Chinese interpreters Alexander Yu and Norman Ng; and Charles Calima, the BI official also alleged of receiving payoffs from Lam.

The cases against the five were filed by Argosino and Robles last Tuesday. (Sunnex)