A total of 87 counts of money laundering complaint involving more than P100 million transactions was filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday afternoon, Aug. 30, against 36 persons, including dismissed Mayor Alice L. Guo of Bamban, Tarlac and members of her family.
The complaint was filed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
Aside from money laundering, the AMLC sought the forfeiture of about P6 billion worth of assets "accumulated by Alice Guo and her associates through their unlawful activities."
In a press conference after the filing of the complaint, the DOJ revealed that a request has been made with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) that Alice be placed in its blue notice.
“Right now we requested a blue notice which will now obligate the other receiving countries to give us information on the whereabouts of a particular individual,” said DOJ Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes T. Andres
He said that Alice remains in Jakarta, Indonesia based in information relayed by Indonesian authorities.
Once charges have been filed in court against Guo and warrants of arrests have been issued, Andres said “we will proceed to the next stage which is a red notice.”
“Lahat ng mga bansa na dadaanan n’ya ay may obligasyon na s’ya ay dakpin at ibalik sa PIlipinas (All of the countries she will go to have the obligation to arrest her and return her to the Philippines,” he said of the Interpol’s red notice.
On the money laundering, the complaint stated that Guo and the other respondents violated Republic Act (RA) 9160, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001 (AMLA).
Those named as respondents in the complaint aside from Alice Guo are her sister Shiela Guo; their father Jian Zhong Guo, also known as Angelito Guo and Angelito Dela Cruz; their mother Lin Wenyi, also known Wen Yi Lin and Amelia Leal; and Katherine Cassandra Li Ong, a representative of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Lucky South 99 in Porac, Pampanga.
The other respondents are former Technology Resource Center (TRC) director general Dennis L. Cunanan; Seimen Guo; Zhiyang Huang; Rachelle Joan Carreon; Baoying Lin; Ruijin Zhang; Thelma Barrogo Laranan; Rowena Gonzales Evanelista; Rita S. Ytturalde; Merlie Joy Manalo Castro; Yu Zheng Can; Mariella Joy Masiclat; Jaimielyn Santos Cruz; Roderick Paul Bernardo Pujante; Juan Miguel Alpas; Jayson Masuerte; Bernard Chua; Lack L. Uy; Nancy J. Gamo; Wuli Dong, Wang Weili; Nong Ding ChangLang Xu Po; Ma The Pong; Huang Yue Hai; Shicong Zhang; Ma Tram; Maybeline R. MIllo; and Walter Wong Long.
AMLC Investigation and Enforcement Department Deputy Director Adrian Arpon said the case involves around P100 million worth of transactions.
“This is just the first of many cases that we will be filing,” Arpon said as he pointed out that about P7 billion worth of properties and other assets are under investigation.
The case concerns the operations of the POGO Zun YuanZun Yuan Technology, Inc. located in the Baofu Land Development, Inc. compound in Bamban that was raided by authorities for its involvement in criminal activities
“The instant case involves corporations that tried to conceal the true nature of their businesses and to make it appear that they are engaged in legitimate activities,” the complaint stated.
According to the complaint, the money laundering charge involves “disguising financial assets so they can be used without detection of the illegal activity that produced them.”
“Through money laundering, the criminal transforms the monetary proceeds derived from criminal activity into funds with an apparently legal source,” the complaint added.