DOJ chief meets with Atong Ang

MANILA, Philippines - Several months after trading barbs, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has met with gambling operator Charlie “Atong” Ang.

Aguirre confirmed that he had a meeting with Ang at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday night.

Ang, together with his lawyer, arrived at the DOJ at around 6 p.m.

“He made a brief courtesy call, accompanied by his lawyer, primarily to express his full support to the Duterte administration’s crusade against any form of illegal gambling and to clear some issues that caused misunderstandings in the past,” the DOJ chief said.

Aguirre refused to divulge what misunderstandings were threshed out during the meeting. 

Ang, who operates the Meridien Vista Gaming Corp., had claimed that Aguirre and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. were planning to kill him to stop his gambling operations.

Aguirre had denied the allegation.

He also asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue to look into Ang’s supposed tax violations.