Alice Guo to face charges for money laundering

The panel of prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended filing 62 counts of violation of Republic Act No. 9160, or the Anti-Money Laundering Act, against former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in connection with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hub in her town.

The DOJ panel resolved the complaint filed last year by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission against Guo and 35 others.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the resolution stands and is not for him to alter, as they respect the work of their fellow professionals at the DOJ.

“The prosecutors, the panel that decided, so we respect that, we want it to be filed as soon as possible,” Remulla said.

The DOJ said that out of the 62 counts against Guo, 31 involve 30 other individuals, including Jian Zhong Guo (also known as Angelito Guo), Lin Wenyi (also known as Amelia Leal), Shiela Leal Guo, Siemen Leal Guo, Zhiyang Huang, Rachelle Joan Carreon, Baoying Lin, Ruiji Zhang, Thelma Laranan, and Walter Wong.

The complaint filed with the DOJ revealed that Guo and the incorporators of Hongsheng Gaming Technology, Baofu Land Development Inc., and Zun Yuan Technology Inc. were involved in transferring funds from alleged fraudulent sources.

A thorough investigation was conducted into billions of pesos in transactions in Guo’s bank accounts and assets from 2019 to 2024, which included her family's bank accounts, properties, POGO companies, and alleged shell companies linked to them.

Assistant Secretary Atty. Mico Clavano said the findings of the panel showed that the illegal activities recovered during the raid of their businesses were the proceeds subject to the complaint.

Meanwhile, the money laundering complaint against Cassandra Li Ong, Atty. Jason Masuerte, and Nancy Gamo was dismissed "for lack of prima facie evidence and reasonable certainty of conviction."

Clavano explained that some of the cases were dismissed because they did not meet the new threshold for filing, which includes prima facie evidence and a reasonable certainty of conviction. This, he said, is part of the DOJ's reforms to ensure that cases filed are likely to succeed in court.