Julie Rose Defensor, the wife of former Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor, has formally rejected criminal complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) following a recent raid on an entertainment venue in Pasig City.
In a strongly worded statement released Friday, Defensor dismissed the allegations involving herself, her son Miguel Gabriel, and several others as a “deliberate, dangerous and desperate lie.”
The controversy stems from an April 21 NBI operation at “Chicago,” a disco bar and hotel facility. According to the bureau’s 11-page complaint, surveillance conducted earlier that month suggested the establishment functioned as a front for sex trafficking.
Authorities reported the rescue of dozens of women who were allegedly being offered for sexual services with price tags ranging from ₱10,000 to ₱20,000.
The NBI further claimed that the site is linked to Zerrin Dev’t Corporation, a firm associated with the Defensor family, and noted that suspected illegal drugs were seized during the raid.
However, Defensor categorically denied any ties to the business or the illicit activities alleged by the bureau.
“Let me be absolutely clear regarding the recent NBI operation: we have absolutely no connection to the targeted establishment or its operations,” she asserted.
Defensor, a known supporter of Vice President Sara Duterte, characterized the legal action as a politically motivated smear campaign.
She argued that the charges were a “fabricated pretext designed to artificially manufacture a case, with the chilling goal of filing unwarranted, unbailable charges.”
She also directly challenged NBI Director Melvin Matibag, suggesting the move was a proxy attack on her husband.
“If you have a political or personal grievance with Mike, have the courage to resolve it with him directly,” Defensor stated, while highlighting that the closure of the establishment resulted in the sudden unemployment of approximately 1,000 workers.
Vowing to fight the complaints in court, Defensor concluded that her family would “exercise the full extent of the law to clear our names, expose this harassment and hold those responsible accountable.”