Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre has ordered Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente to turn over to the Department of Justice (DOJ) the amount of P 20-million that was part of the money that former BI Associate Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles allegedly extorted from business tycoon Jack Lam.
In his order, Aguirre said, the move is view of Morente’s “admission” that he had “authorized former Acting BI Intelligence Chief General Charles Calima to conduct a counter-intelligence operation in connection with the alleged P 50-million extortion purportedly committed by Argosino and Robles.”
Vitaliano also told Morente that he wants to “preserve the evidence of such an extortion activity.”
Morente has been given 24 hours to deliver the remaining balance of P 20 million alleged extortion money to the DOJ or to the National Bureau of Investigation, which is conducting a probe on the controversy.