NBI to Seek Immigration Lookout Order vs Leviste, 6 Others in 'Honey Trap' Plot

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will request the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO) against Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto “Jing” Paras, and five others implicated in the alleged “honey trap” plot against Executive Secretary Ralph Recto. NBI Director Melvin Matibag revealed this in an interview on Monday, following the bureau’s filing of “qualified human trafficking” complaints against the seven individuals before the DOJ last Friday. Also named in the complaints are the nabbed talent manager identified by the NBI as Alias Ken and four lawyers from the Rondain & Mendiola Law Firm, namely Ruy Rondain, Orlando Mendiola, Patrick Criaga, and Josemilio Manuel Apostol. According to Matibag, the bureau is already preparing the letter to the DOJ detailing the ILBO request. “We will write to the DOJ, with the attention of the Bureau of Immigration (BI). I have already had the letter prepared; just waiting for the signature,” he said. When asked when the letter is expected to be sent to the DOJ, Matibag affirmed, “This week.” An ILBO would allow the BI to monitor the subjects’ travel. It differs from a Hold Departure Order, which bars subjects from leaving the country and requires issuance by a court. The Inquirer reached out to Leviste, Rondain, Mendiola, and Alias Ken’s lawyer about the upcoming ILBO request, but they have yet to respond. Paras, in a Viber message to the Inquirer, said he refuses to comment on Matibag’s pronouncement. Meanwhile, Matibag said the bureau last monitored Leviste’s location in France. “I hope he comes home to face his case,” he said. Last August 6, Matibag and the BI confirmed in separate statements that Leviste and his mother, Sen. Loren Legarda, have left the country through separate flights on August 2. The investigation into the supposed “honey trap” operation began following the arrest of Alias Ken last July 28 over a human trafficking case. Ken earlier said he met Paras and the lawyers in a restaurant in July to supposedly plan the “character assassination” scheme in which four of his female artists would issue fabricated statements claiming that Recto forced them to use illegal drugs and have sex with him. The lawyers, who allegedly introduced themselves as Leviste’s representatives, were tasked with crafting the “script,” or fabricated statements targeting Recto, the talent manager said. Ken also claimed that Leviste was the financier of the supposed modus. All of the implicated individuals have since denied the allegations.