Harry Roque has yet to file a counterclaim for human abuse — the prosecutor

Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque has yet to file his counter-affidavit in a qualified human trafficking complaint filed against him with the Department of Justice (DOJ), a prosecutor said Monday.

In an ambush interview after a preliminary investigation by the Justice Department, prosecutor Eugene Yusi said Roque had already been notified of the investigation and the complaint against him.

“Atty. Harry Roque has yet to file his counter-affidavit. So far, he has not yet participated and was not represented during the preliminary investigation,” prosecutor Yevhen Yusiy told reporters.

“If he does not appear or participate in the preliminary investigation, the complaint will be decided on the basis of … the evidence that is attached to the complaint,” he added later.

However, when asked for comment, Roque said he had not yet received a copy of the complaint.

“I was not given (this) complaint under oath. Wala pa rin summon from the Ministry of Justice (also there was no summons from the Ministry of Justice),” he told reporters.

Additional complaint

In October, the authorities submitted a supplemental affidavit against Roqueadding it to the original human trafficking complaint against Lucky South 99 authorized representative Cassandra Lee Ong and others.

Following this, Rock said it would respond to the complaint, but said there are many ways to do so besides appearing in person at the Department of Justice.

The former spokesman for the president previously rejected the accusations against him, saying that the evidence against him was not new.

Meanwhile, Onga’s camp said it would file a counter-affidavit next week.

According to Yusi, the other respondents, for their part, were able to submit their counter-affidavits during the preliminary investigation.

“Today, some of the defendants filed their counter-affidavits and some of them also received copies of CIDG’s supplementary complaint,” Yusi said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News