Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 28) — The Department of Justice said there is no proof that accused drug lord Peter Go Lim has left the Philippines, but cannot say whether he is still in the country.
“There is no record of departure by Peter Go Lim. His last recorded foreign travel was in 2017,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a message to reporters on Monday.
However, Guevarra admitted there was no assurance that Lim was still in the couintry, given the country’s geography.
“We cannot really be sure… Our country has a very extensive coastline. There are known backdoors in our southern borders,” he said.
Guevarra said Lim’s passport expired in 2019.
The Bureau of Immigration said Lim has several namesakes “with at least one having left the country recently,” but he had no recent departure records.
“I can only answer with regards to if he left via our airports or seaports. If he used a fraudulent passport, then our equipment would be able to detect it,” said Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval.
Lim, a businessman based in Cebu, is allegedly part of the illgeal drug trade but has denied all accusations of such. He even personally appeared to President Rodrigo Duterte to clear his name.
