Philippines senator is urging for charges against the auditor of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs)

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is not only advocating for charges to be brought against the officials who hired Global ComRCI as a third-party auditor for POGOs, but he is also pushing for a ban on POGOs.

Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian has urged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) to take action against the officials responsible for hiring an unqualified third-party auditor to review Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

During a panel investigation, Senator Gatchalian, who heads the Senate ways and means committee, exposed that Global ComRCI submitted a fraudulent bank guarantee from a financial institution that lacked authorization from the Philippine central bank. He emphasized the importance of holding the government officials responsible accountable for their actions and ensuring that they face charges, as it would help prevent future irregularities in government contracts.

On March 9, PAGCOR announced that it would terminate its consultancy contract with Global ComRCI due to “unlawful acts”. Following a thorough investigation, the decision to terminate the contract was made, and PAGCOR is now pursuing all legal options to recover the partial payment it made to Global ComRCI, which is valued at more than PHP800m (US$16.5m). The regulator has also stated that it plans to file administrative, civil, and criminal charges against the third-party auditor.

Recently, Senator Gatchalian proposed that POGOs should be shut down within three months.