Department of Justice denies it has concluded probe into Universal

The Philippines’ Department of Justice has refuted a statement by Universal Entertainment saying that the National Bureau of Investigation has concluded its probe into allegations the company was involved in a bribery scandal.

Amid an investigation into the company on suspicion a unit of Kazuo Okada's Universal Entertainment Corp. paid a $5-million bribe to a former consultant of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation in connection with a $2 billion resort in Manila, the company issued a statement saying it was in the clear.

“All inspections or investigations by government-related bodies of the Company group and its officers and employees in relation to the groundless suspicion have thereby concluded for all practical purposes in the Philippines,” the company said, adding that Prosecutor General Claro Arellano asked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to terminate the investigation “due to insufficient evidence.”

But according to the Inquirer newspaper, de Lima said the statement was false and that Arellano did not make any such proposal.

“He has not received the resolution of the panel [of investigators handling the case],” de Lima said in a text message to the newspaper.

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