De Lima: DOTC men involved in wanted Korean's flight

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said that personnel from the Department of Transportation and Communications are involved in the escape of wanted Korean Park Sung-jung last March 18.

De Laim said that the involvement of members of the DOTC's Transport Security Office was discovered through recorded footage of close-circuit television cameras at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

"I already gave a heads up to DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya for the cooperation of the Office of Transport Security," De Lima told reporters in an ambush interview.

De Lima said that that based on the CCTV footage, the DOTC personnel were "in cahoots with the Immigration personnel."

De Lima had directed a fact-finding team to look into possible liabilities of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for the issuance of a working visa to Park Sung-jung last August when a summary deportation warrant was issued against him.

“Officials and personnel of the BI legal division will have to explain the circumstances behind this,” she said.

De Lima confirmed Park was wanted in Seoul over a $25-million investment scam. The BI had issued a summary deportation order in June 2012.

Park bought his ticket just hours before his flight, checked in late, and got on the Philippine Airlines flight directly with a stamped boarding pass. His departure from NAIA at around 1 a.m. was not registered in the immigration database and was only discovered in the flight manifest.

Korean authorities at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul arrested Park, who fled his country last year after being tagged in an investment scam.