The Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division has junked the petitions for bail of former Immigration deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, and retired police officer Wenceslao Sombero Jr., citing strong evidence for plunder.
The 48-page ruling of the anti-graft division said the accused are sufficiently charged and must face trial on the plunder case that stemmed from the alleged P50-million bribery scandal at the Bureau of Immigration.
“This Court finds that accused Argosino, Robles and Sombero are not entitled to bail,” the Sandiganbayan ruling said.
“It must be emphasized that the Court's ruling herein is not a prejudgment of the guilt of the accused,” the ruling clarified. “The Court merely determined the weight of evidence for the purposes of bail.”
The Ombudsman charged Argosino, Robles, and Sombero with the non-bailable offense of plunder; and one count each of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, direct bribery, and violation of Presidential Decree 46, which punishes public officials for receiving gifts from private individuals.
Ombudsman investigators earlier revealed that Argosino and Robles have acquired ill-gotten wealth worth P50-million when they conspired with Sombero, then-president of Asian Gaming Service Provider Association Inc., in exchange for assistance in the release of 1,316 illegal Chinese workers at Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino in Clark, Pampanga owned by Chinese casino mogul Jack Lam.
The ruling explained that receiving the alleged P50 million beyond office hours may signal the possibility that the money could be used for illegal transactions.
“The prosecution's evidence, taken as a whole, convincingly shows that there was no legitimate reason why accused Argosino and Robles received money from accused Sombero outside the premises of their office and beyond office hours, and hence, the money received appears to be ill-gotten wealth," said the ruling.
“They claim that they intended to use the money as evidence in a case against Jack Lam, and that the money was for the 'legal bail' of the detained Chinese nationals. The prosecution's evidence, however, tells a different story," it said.