AMLC to file money laundering raps vs. Alice Guo, others this week

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) is set to file money laundering complaints against dismissed Mayor Alice Guo and other personalities allegedly involved in the raided POGO firm in Bamban, Tarlac within the week, an official said Tuesday. 

“For the civil forfeiture, we have already filed,” AMLC Investigating and Enforcement Department Deputy Director Adrian Arpon told a Senate panel investigating the alleged escape of Guo from the Philippines. 

“For the criminal case for money laundering, we are in coordination with different law enforcement agencies. We are expecting to file the first batch of money laundering cases hopefully within the week,” he said. 

Guo is at the center of the Senate investigation into the raided Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated after several seized documents showed that she was involved in the processing of documents for its operations.

Last month, the Court of Appeals ordered the freezing of the bank accounts and personal assets of Guo, and two others over their alleged involvement in the operations of the illegal POGO firm. 

The AMLC, for its part, said it ordered the freezing of cash and assets of other personalities behind Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated. This included over P251 million in cash and at least P465 million worth of assets. 

“With regard to the Zhun Yuan case, we have already filed a petition for freeze. At present, we have frozen a total of P251 million…There were also assets frozen: real properties amounting to almost P465 million, for motor vehicles, P76 million. Also subject to forfeiture real properties and money,” Arpon said.

Asked if the case would warrant a hold departure order for the involved individuals, the AMLC said it would be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make the motion. 

The DOJ, in turn, said the case could be a “sufficient ground for prosecutors to request that court for an issuance of a hold departure order against all accused for the case”.

“Once a case was filed in court, that would be sufficient grounds for prosecutors to request that court for an issuance of a hold departure order against all accused for the case,” said IACAT Undersecretary Nicholas Ty. 

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian welcomed Ty’s remarks, saying the Senate panel seeks to prevent other suspects from flying out of the country. 

“Ang punto lang naman natin, let’s prevent something like this from happening again. One account lang P200 plus million na in cash, P400 million in assets…Ganitong mga klaseng tao ang kinakasuhan natin. Di malayo na tatakas din sila,” said Gatchalian. 

(The only point is to prevent something like this from happening again. One account has P200M in cash and P400M in assets. We are filing cases against these types of people. It’s not impossible they would also try to escape.)

The Bureau of Immigration earlier said Guo was reported to be in Jakarta, Indonesia as of August 26. —NB, GMA Integrated News