Remulla orders NBI to stop its operation against POGOs after reports of extortion and other irregularities.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday stopped the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from investigating Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) due to reports of extortion and other irregularities.
“I told (NBI OIC) Director (Medardo) De Lemos to stop everybody from operating on Pogos because we are getting a very bad reputation on the matter,” Remulla said on the sidelines of a Rotary Club of Manila gathering yesterday.
Remulla said that his directive was issued just before he took over the top post at DOJ on a complaint by a POGO establishment that money was found missing during an NBI operation.
“Hindi ho itinatag ang National Bureau of Investigation upang gamitin lamang sa panghuhuli ng mga dayuhan o kaya ng mga negosyante,” Remulla stated.
“We had to put a stop to that and right now,” he stressed.
The POGO industry was a booming sector during the early years of President Duterte’s administration, but suffered during the pandemic and from a tax dispute last 2019. A revival of POGO companies was developed after the industry settled the tax dispute a year ago.
Tags: #DOJ, #NBI, #POGOs, #extorition, #irregularities