New details emerge about money laundering charges against Alice Guo
The suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, was accused of being involved in the activities of an illegal offshore gaming operator in Bamban.
The Philippines.- 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.
Philippine senator urges probe into banks’ role in money laundering cases linked to POGOs
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian pledged to amplify the inquiry into the potential roles of banks and other financial institutions in money laundering incidents allegedly linked to illegal offshore gaming operators.
Gatchalian questioned why banks did not raise alarms over PHP7bn (US$119m) in transactions that allowed Alice Guo and her associates to establish an offshore gaming operator hub in Bamban.
He said: “How PHP7bn have entered without having been declared by the banks and detected by the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council)?”
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, said that he will soon propose a resolution to investigate the issue. He has previously indicated that criminal acts occurring in offshore gaming operator hubs, such as human trafficking, kidnapping, investment fraud and love scams, could have been prevented had banks adhered strictly to the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
