Kazuo Okada, naniniwalang mababawi ang kontrol sa Okada Manila –spox

Kazuo Okada, naniniwalang mababawi ang kontrol sa Okada Manila –spox

NAGSALITA na ang kampo ng Okada Business Group kasunod ng resolusyon na inilabas ng Department of Justice (DOJ).

Kaugnay ito sa rekomendasyon ng DOJ na kasuhan ng grave coercion ang Japanese gaming tycoon na si Kazuo Okada at tatlo pang  business partners nito na sina Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco, Dindo Espeleta, at ang kanyang abogado na si Florentino “Binky” Herrera III.

Sa isang media briefing sa Makati, inilahad ni Atty. Rico Paolo Quicho, tagapagsalita ng Okada Business Group, na walang merito ang nasabing resolusyon ng Justice Department.

“The resolution of the Department of Justice recommending the filing of grave coercion against the Kazuo Okada Group  is totally bereft of any merit,” pahayag ni Quicho.

Matatandaang, una nang naglabas ng status quo ante order ang Korte Suprema noong Abril 27, 2022 na nagbabalik sa pwesto kay Kazuo Okada sa pagiging stockholder, director, chairman, at CEO ng Tiger Resorts Leisure and Entertainment (TRLEI).

Kasunod ito ng kanyang pagkakatalsik noong 2017 sa isyu ng korupsiyon.

At ilang araw matapos ilabas ang desisyon ng  Korte Suprema, noong Mayo 31, isang takeover sa Casino Hotel Okada Manila ang naganap.

Kung saan sapilitan umanong pinalayas ng security personnel nina Cojuangco, Espeleta, Herrera, ang mga opisyal ng TRLEI na sina Hajime Tokuda, Michiaki Satate, and James Lorenzana ng security group.

Muling umalma ang grupo ni Tokuda ngunit ayon sa Korte Suprema, sa resolusyon nito noong Agosto 15, ang  Court of Appeals na ang hahawak sa kaso at mag-iimbestiga.

Ngunit noong Agosto 25, sa isang resolution, sinabi ng DOJ na mayroong probable cause upang sampahan ng grave coercion si Kazuo, kasama ang business partners nito na sina Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco, Dindo Espeleta, at ang kanyang lawyer na si Florentino “Binky” Herrera III.

Kaya naman ani Quicho, nag over step ang DOJ dahil sa ginawa nitong hakbang.

“The Supreme Court has been very clear, it has been very unequivocal that the status quo ante order remains if there are questions, there are other possible remedies given to the parties but it is also very clear that it is only the Court of Appeals that has the authority to gather evidence and so far as the facts of the pending case is concerned,” ayon kay Quicho.

Binigyang-diin din ng tagapagsalita na lahat ng kasong isinampa laban kay Kazuo ay ibinasura.

“Six other criminal complaints filed by Tokuda group against the Kazuo Okada Group have all been dismissed,” ani Quicho.

“We are aware that other party has been filing numerous cases that may be considered as no reason suits and we remain optimistic that at the end of the day the truth will come out,” dagdag nito.

Kaya naman naniniwala ang kampo ni Okada na makukuha nito ang hustisya.

“In the grand scheme of things there’s just one minor set back which we are optimistic that in the next few days or months we will hear about the truth that Mr. Kazuo Okada and his group would be vindicated by this erroneous charge,” aniya pa.

Sa huli, tiniyak naman ng tagapagsalita na magpapatuloy si Kazuo Okada sa nais nitong mapalawak ang kanyang business sa bansa.

“Mr Kazuo Okada means business, he is not only optimistic but he is willing to continue what he started in the Philippines. He has built Okada Manila from scratch. Let us not lose our attention from the fact that it was Mr. Kazuo Okada who built Okada Manila and he is hell depth of continuing and making sure that his vision with his investments in the Philippines would continue to grow,” ayon pa ni Quicho.

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