Records seized by Manila police in 2013 from several business process outsourcing companies that provided support services to Philippines-licensed online gambling operator Bodog Asia have been ruled inadmissible by an appeals court according to a report at CalvinAyre.com.
The search warrants were obtained using information provided by Robert Gustafsson, the company’s ex-CEO, who claimed the operator was taking wagers from Philippines residents in violation of its gaming license. Bodog disputed those allegations and filed an appeal to block officials from pursuing any further legal action using the evidence seized during the raid.
On May 29, the Court of Appeals made that preliminary injunction permanent and said all evidence seized during the raids was inadmissible due to its status as “fruit of the poisonous tree,” the website reported.
The court ruled that the warrant was issued by a judge who had no territorial jurisdiction and was too vague in outlining what could be seized.
The court also found Gustaffson’s statements leading to the warrant “so vague that one cannot tell if he indeed had personal knowledge of the alleged criminal activities.”
One month before the 2013 raids, Bodog Asia launched legal proceedings against their former CEO after an audit turned up evidence of the theft of over $160,000. In 2014, a no-bail arrest warrant was issued for Gustafsson on a charge of qualified theft.
