Authorities are now in search for former presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque in order to execute the arrest order issued by the House quad-committee against him.
According to Reginald Velasco, Secretary General of the House of Representatives, the arrest order has been served at Roque’s law firm, but the former government official was not found.
Consequently, Velasco announced that they had instructed law enforcement agencies to locate Roque in order to personally serve him the arrest order.
Roque was initially invited to attend the quad-committee's investigation into the country's Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO), despite his repeated denials of any connection to it.
Roque did not attend the recent committee hearing and also failed to submit his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) for 2016 to 2022, as well as his wife's income tax returns from 2014 to 2022.
Meanwhile, Roque denied that authorities visited his office to serve the arrest warrant.
“Wala pa pong nag serve ng Warrant of Arrest from Congress sa aking opisina ngayong araw. FYI po,” Roque said in a Facebook post on early Saturday.
On Thursday, the quad-committee cited Roque in contempt once again for failing to submit the subpoenaed documents related to his business and financial records.
The quad-committee ordered Roque to be detained on the House premises until he submits the required documents or until the investigation is concluded.
Previously, the ex-spox was cited in contempt on August 22 for lying about his absence from the first committee session held on August 16 in Porac, Pampanga, where he received a 24-hour detention in the House.
