THE Department of Justice (DOJ) chief has claimed that three senators would like him to appear as the "most guilty" in the P50-million extortion try involving gaming tycoon Jack Lam.
In a chance interview at the DOJ on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Senators Francis Pangilinan, Leila De Lima and Antonio Trillanes III are allegedly planning to offer legislative immunity to the two dismissed commissioners of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) involved in the alleged extortion attempt, namely Al Argosino and Michael Robles, in exchange for their testimony.
"Inofferan nila yung dalawang commissioners ng immunity para magsabi ng katotohanan at ako'y idiin. Anong ididiin nila, eh nagsabi na ng katotohanan?" Aguirre said.
Aguirre also uttered harsh words against the senators who would like to implicate him.
"Wala nang maisip kasi yung mga dilawan na yan, yung mga gagong Senador na yan para lang idiin ako," he said.
According to Aguirre, the two commissioners and BI intelligence agent Charles Calima, whom he dismissed, had already cleared him in the supposed extortion try.
"Yung dalawang commissioners nagdeklara na yan na walang kinalaman si Sec Aguirre. Si Calima na aking tinanggal nagdeklara na yan walang kinalaman si Sec Aguirre. Si Sombero din nagsabing walang kinalaman si Sec Aguirre," he said.
The Justice secretary challenged the senators in the next Senate hearing to release their evidence against him and answer instead why Lam's gaming operations proliferated.
"Hinahamon ko yan. I'm looking forward to Feb. 7 hearing, ilabas ninyo. Bring it on Trillanes, De lima!" Aguirre said.
"Ang sabihin nila yung kanilang culpability. Bakit nagkaroon ng Jack Lam? 'Yan ang sagutin mo De Lima. Bat natagalan si Jack Lam dyan?" he added.
The two commissioners who appeared in a Senate probe into the Jack Lam extortion try last Monday denied their involvement and insisted to the senators that they accepted the money as evidence against officials in the BI accepting payoffs. (SunStar Philippines)