The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) of the Philippines stated that they will summon a Cebu businessman this week. This individual owns the Tourist Garden Hotel in Lapu-Lapu City, which was previously raided and found to be involved in suspected POGO operations and illegal human trafficking at the Royal No.1 Resort located therein.
The hotel and the entire complex cover nearly 1.6 hectares. Since 2018, the hotel has been leased with an annual rent of 6 million pesos and a security deposit of 30 million pesos, with the lease continuing until 2048. As there are no signs that the owner frequently visited the site during the POGO operations, the NBI wishes to clarify the relationship between the owner and the lessee.
Meanwhile, on November 8, the NBI re-entered the Royal No.1 Resort within the hotel in the Agus community for another search. Currently, the operator of the resort, Zhao Shouqi (transliterated), his son Zhao Long (transliterated), and 15 others are being prosecuted and tried for operating online gambling and human trafficking issues.
Zhao Shouqi, a key figure in the case, is likely familiar to our readers as he became famous online for his humorous remarks during a court hearing, earning him the nickname "Boss Zhao" of POGO.
"Boss Zhao" demonstrated his exceptional debating skills during his speech, such as claiming that a large sum of bribe money was accidentally dropped and picked up by law enforcement!
On August 31, the NBI raided the Tourist Garden Hotel in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, and confiscated the POGO center hidden within the Royal No.1 Resort, rescuing 169 foreign nationals, mostly of Chinese and Indonesian nationality.
As a result, 17 individuals including Zhao Shouqi and his son Zhao Long were arrested for illegal POGO operations and suspected human trafficking.
Subsequently, officials interrogated and detained Zhao Shouqi and others, with Zhao Shouqi consistently denying his involvement in POGO operations. He claimed to be completely unaware of the illegal scam activities of the company. As the trial concluded, everything went quiet until November 8 last week, when "Boss Zhao" re-entered the public eye—NBI announced another raid on "Boss Zhao's" POGO center.
Key Evidence Found During the Raid?
In the raid, the NBI seized a large amount of computer equipment, electronic devices, and seven safes. Inside the safes, police found various documents including ledgers, accounting records, and bank transactions involving Zhao Shouqi and others. The NBI stated that these documents will serve as strong evidence of illegal POGO operations, especially if the bank transactions show financial dealings with online gambling funds.
Additionally, police found 440,620 pesos in cash in the safes, which, along with the 8.2 million pesos seized during the August 31 raid, will also serve as evidence in the anti-money laundering court proceedings. It is understood that the 17 defendants, including Zhao Shouqi, will face trial on January 27, 2025. The prosecution plans to summon 36 witnesses, while the defense has prepared 34 witnesses.
The Rental Contract in the Safe Reveals the Operation Status of the POGO Center
Arnel Pura, head of NBI CEBDO, stated that they found the rental contract of the POGO center in "Boss Zhao's" safe, which led them to identify the landlord of the building and summon the landlord to cooperate with the investigation to confirm their non-involvement in the operations.
Moreover, Pura revealed that according to the rental documents in the safe, "Boss Zhao's" POGO center has been operating since 2018. In 2018, Zhao Shouqi rented the building from the landlord with a contract specifying a 30-year lease, an annual rent of 6 million pesos, and a security deposit of 30 million pesos.
Ironically, the rental contract explicitly states "prohibition of illegal activities on the leased property" and further specifies corresponding penalties: "If it is discovered that the property is used for illegal purposes, the rental agreement will automatically terminate, and the landlord will not refund the security deposit." Therefore, the NBI decided to summon the landlord to assist in the investigation and clarify the details of the rental contract with Zhao.
Netizens commented that the raid on August 31, followed by a second raid on November 8, and the trial not starting until January 27 next year, truly reflects the relaxed pace typical of Philippine official efficiency!
Some analysts believe that the NBI's delay in conducting a second operation might be due to potential issues with the evidence chain discovered just before the prosecution stage, possibly making it difficult to fully substantiate the charges. There are also reports that "Boss Zhao's" lawyer immediately requested a visual inspection after the raid, likely aiming to challenge the legality of how the evidence was obtained.
