29 deported from the Philippines after raid on illegal gaming operator in Silang
BI commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said: “The aliens will be charged with immigration violation cases”
The Philippines.- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has reported it has initiated deportation proceedings against 29 foreign nationals, 23 Chinese nationals and six Myanmar nationals, arrested for allegedly being linked to offshore gaming activities in a resort in Silang, Cavite.
BI commissioner Joel Anthony Viado told the Philippines News Agency: “The aliens will be charged with immigration violation cases before the BI board of commissioners which will issue the orders for their deportation and their inclusion in our blacklist, effectively banning them from re-entering the country.
“Physical custody of these foreigners will be with the PAOCC (Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission) but they will be under the legal custody of the BI due to ongoing deportation proceedings.”
Viado also said the BI is currently studying the possibility of filing a case against the renters of the resort for harbouring illegal aliens. If found guilty, they may face up to 10 years in prison.
New details emerge about money laundering charges against Alice Guo
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved 62 counts of money laundering charges against Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac and 31 others in connection with an illegal offshore gaming operator in Bamban.
A panel of prosecutors from the DOJ-NPS has recommended the filing of 26 counts of money laundering under Section 4 (a) of Republic Act 9160 (Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001), five counts of money laundering under Section 4 (b) of RA 9160 as amended by RA 10365 (An Act Further Strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Law) and 31 counts of violation of Section 4 (d) of RA 9160 as amended by RA 10365.
A separate complaint regarding the concealment or disguise of the true nature of the source of funds against Guo was dismissed by the DOJ. It also dismissed another charge against lawyer Jason Masuerte, Nancy Gamo and Cassie Li Ong for aiding and assisting in the commission of money laundering offences. According to authorities, the charge was dismissed “on the basis of lack of prima facie evidence and reasonable certainty of conviction”.
Guo and her co-accused are also facing human trafficking charges following a raid carried out last June on an offshore gaming operator hub in Bamban, where 800 workers, both Filipino and foreign, were rescued.
Alice Guo was arrested in Tangerang City, Jakarta, after several weeks of intensive search by authorities. Guo was able to leave the Philippines on July 17. She travelled to Malaysia, arrived in Singapore on July 21 and then Indonesia on August 18.
