EDITORIAL - How did Harry leave the country?

Another person that authorities are looking for has managed to leave the country without the knowledge of the Bureau of Immigration or by using legal means.

The court was suddenly just notified that former presidential spokesman Harry Roque had his counter-affidavit notarized in Abu Dhabi for the human trafficking case he was wanted for here.

While the affidavit was filed in that country, Roque has refused to say where he is now.

“It’s impossible that he left via formal ports. His name is in the BI’s Lookout Bulletin, and he is a very well-known public figure. You can spot him miles away… He most probably falsified immigration clearances to be accepted by his destination country,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

It was not too long ago when somebody else many people wanted to question about something was able to leave the country illegally; Alice Guo. Until now, because of conflicting accounts, we are still not sure exactly how she left the country and she certainly doesn’t want to reveal too much.

Perhaps so she can use that avenue of escape just in case she needs to leave the country surreptitiously again.

In Roque’s case it can be argued that flight is a sign of guilt, but that is beside the issue here. Like we always say in other such cases, someone’s guilt is up to the court to decide.

If anything, it shows that if you are a person with the means, the money, and the connections you can somehow just up and leave the country whenever you want, even if you are a person wanted for a crime. And none will be the wiser.

This latest “great escape” doesn’t bode well for the BI, the lawmen and other people who are supposed to look for wanted individuals or keep track of who are entering and leaving the country.

Of course, this goes without saying we have to find out how he left. So we can also stop other wanted, connected, and moneyed people from just leaving the country whenever they please.