The Metropolitan Trial Court of Parañaque Branch 91 has denied Japanese gaming tycoon Kazuo Okada’s motion to quash the grave coercion charges filed against him and his cohorts for the violent and illegal takeover of Okada Manila last May.
In a resolution dated 18 October 2022, Parañaque MTC Branch 91 Presiding Judge Hon. Placido Garcia III ruled to deny Okada and his cohort’s motion, after finding that the allegations in the information are sufficient to constitute the criminal offense of grave coercion.
“The information, in this case, is sufficient as regards both the offense charged and the alleged circumstance of conspiracy amongst the accused in committing the offense charged,” the resolution read.
According to Garcia III, all three elements of grave coercion were properly alleged in the information citing Article 286 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, as amended.
The elements of grave coercion are as follows: That a person is prevented by another from doing something not prohibited by law; that the prevention or compulsion is effected by violence, threats, or intimidation; and that the restraint is not made under the authority of law or in the exercise of any lawful right.
Tiger Resort Leisure and Entertainment Inc. officers James Lorenzana, Hajime Tokuda, and Michiake Satate sued Okada and his cohorts Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco, Dindo Espeleta, and lawyer Florentino “Binky” Herrera, for grave coercion following the violent takeover of Okada Manila on 31 May 2022.
To recall, The Kazuo Okada Group brought roughly 50 armed men and officers to physically take over the integrated casino hotel, employing brute force and intimidation while citing a wrong interpretation of the status quo ante order issued by the Supreme Court.
The Kazuo Okada Group also illegally installed themselves as members of the board of Okada Manila, forcibly removing Lorenzana, Tokuda, and Satate from their positions despite not having any approval of the Supreme Court to physically take over.
Kazuo Okada on Monday was arrested by the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1, after he landed from Haneda, Japan.
The MTC Branch 91 has set Kazuo Okada’s arraignment and pre-trial for 28 October 2022 at 2 p.m.
On the other hand, MTC Branch 90 has set Kazuo Okada’s arraignment and pre-trial for 7 November 2022 and 5 December 2022 at 1:30 p.m.