Alice Guo, 30 others to face 62 counts of money laundering —DOJ

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will file 62 counts of money laundering charges against former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and others, according to Justice spokesperson Mico Clavano on Wednesday.

“The… panel of prosecutors found that ‘yung mga illegal activities po na nahanap po natin nung ni-raid natin ‘yung business nila ay ‘yun po ‘yung proceeds na tinutukoy or subject nitong complaint na ito,” Clavano said in an ambush interview.

(The panel of prosecutors found that the illegal activities we discovered during the raid on their business are the proceeds mentioned in this complaint.)

He said this involves an amount that “runs in the billions.”

Clavano said the panel of prosecutors recommended the filing of 26 counts of money laundering under Section 4(a) and five counts of money laundering under Section 4(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 against Guo.

The panel also recommended the filing of 31 counts for violation of Section 4(d) against Guo, her purported father Jian Zhong Guo, her purported mother Lin Wenyi, and her siblings Shiela Guo and Seimen Guo for acting in conspiracy with each other to commit money laundering.

Also included were Huang Zhiyang, the so-called "boss of all bosses" of illegal POGOs, former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center deputy director general Dennis Cunanan, Baoying Lin, Ruijin Zhang, Walter Wong, Jack Uy, Rachel Carreon, Thelma Laranan, Rowena Evangelista, Rita Yturralde, Merlie Castro, Yu Zheng Can, Mariela Tulio, Jaimielyn Cruz, Roderick Pujante, Juan Alpas, Bernard Chua Chua, Wuli Dong, Wang Weili Nong Ding Chang, Lang Xu Po, Ma Pong, Huang Yue Hai, Shicong Zhang, Ma Tram, and Maybeline Millo.

According to Clavano, the case will be filed before a Manila regional trial court. 

“We already gave the authority to the panel of prosecutors to file the corresponding information subject of the resolution. I don’t have an exact date pero (but) we can expect as soon as possible ipa-file na ito sa court,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the panel dismissed the complaint for money laundering under Section 4(c) for lack of prima facie evidence and reasonable certainty of conviction. 

It also dismissed a complaint for money laundering under Section 4(e) against Cassandra Li Ong, the authorized representative of the Porac POGO hub, Atty. Jason Masuerte, and Nancy Gamo for lack of prima facie evidence and reasonable certainty of conviction.

“Some of the cases were dismissed dahil hindi po siya umabot doon sa threshold na bago… so it speaks to the reforms of the department dahil hindi natin ipa-file ang isang kaso kung hindi tayo sigurado na mananalo tayo sa korte,” Clavano said.

(Some of the cases were dismissed because they did not meet the necessary threshold. This highlights the reforms in the department, as we will not file a case unless we are confident that we will win in court.)

Guo is also facing a qualified trafficking case before a Pasig court, a graft case before a Valenzuela court, and a material misrepresentation case before a Tarlac court.

A quo warranto petition was also filed against Guo with a Manila court, as well as a petition to cancel her birth certificate before a Tarlac court.

She is also facing a tax evasion complaint and a perjury and falsification complaint before the DOJ.

Guo has denied the numerous charges against her.—AOL, GMA Integrated News