SC: No evidence showing court employees leak warrant info to Pogos

The Supreme Court of the Philippines | PHOTO: National Privacy Commission website / privacy.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines — There is no evidence that court employees have been leaking information on warrants to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (Pogo) hubs, Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court conducted an investigation after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that Pogo operators may have already infiltrated the judiciary.

Gatchalian said he received information about a crackdown in Pampanga that the Pogo hub had over 1,000 agents. Still, only 140 were arrested because someone tipped the hub when the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) applied for a search warrant.

Government authorities were supposed to conduct another search of the area, but a Bulacan court denied their request for a search warrant.

Gesmundo said they asked for specific information on the matter.

However, he said “up to this time,” they did not get any actionable information.

“We asked for specific information that judges and court personnel were in cahoots with POGO operators but up to this time, we have yet to receive the specifics,” Gesmundo said during the Supreme Court meets the press.

He said they made their own preliminary inquiries, but the result was negative.