Guo, who was recently removed from office by the local government ombudsman, has fled the country, traveling to Malaysia and Singapore last month and Indonesia this month using her Philippine passport, the Philippine anti-crime agency said. The Senate’s investigation began in May after authorities raided a casino in Guo’s sleepy farming town of Bamban in March, uncovering what the authorities said were scams being perpetrated from a facility built on land partially owned by the former mayor.
Senators first held Guo in contempt in July and ordered her arrest for failing to appear at a hearing. Law enforcers later found out she left the Philippines in July, going to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. urged Guo last week to disclose how gambling businesses targeting customers in China, known as Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), had branched into crime. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Alice Guo, also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, is wanted by the Senate for refusing to attend hearings on her alleged criminal ties.
She has denied the accusations, insisting she is a natural-born Philippine citizen facing „malicious accusations”. MANILA, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Former Philippine town mayor Alice Guo was held in contempt for a second time on Monday after refusing to answer senators’ questions on suspected ties to Chinese criminal syndicates and how she escaped the country two months ago. „I move to cite Guo Hua Ping, also known as Alice Guo, in contempt of the Senate for testifying falsely and evasively before this committee,” said Senate committee head Risa Hontiveros, whose motion was quickly passed.
Senators took turns to grill Guo on Monday, becoming irked and accusing her of lying that she is Filipino despite evidence obtained by the National Bureau of Investigation showing her fingerprints match Chinese national Guo Hua Ping. In case you loved this post and you would want to receive more details with regards to แทงหวยออนไลน์ i implore you to visit our webpage. She faces graft charges at a Philippine trial court and a money laundering complaint at the Department of Justice. Bamban mayor since 2022, Guo was removed from office by the Ombudsman last month for grave misconduct.
„These individuals … are alleged to have been involved in a complex scheme of money laundering linked to the crimes of estafa (or fraudulent acts), qualified trafficking in persons, and violations of the Securities Regulation Code,” the AMLC said in a statement. The council also sought to forfeit 6 billion pesos worth of assets including real estate properties, luxury vehicles and a helicopter that Guo and her associates accumulated through alleged illegal activities.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), with the National Bureau of Investigation and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, jointly filed multiple counts of money laundering against Guo and 35 others at the Department of Justice. Guo’s case comes at a time of growing Philippine suspicion about China’s activities following an increasingly tense dispute over reefs and shoals in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, where both nations have overlapping claims.