AMLC to File Money Laundering Complaints Against Alice Guo, Others

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) plans to file money laundering complaints against former Mayor Alice Guo and other individuals connected to the recently raided POGO firm, Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated. According to AMLC Investigating and Enforcement Department Deputy Director Adrian Arpon, they are planning to file the complaints within this week.

“For the civil forfeiture, we have already filed,” Arpon told a Senate panel investigating Guo’s escape from the Philippines. He was quoted as saying in a report published by GMA Network, “For the criminal case for money laundering, we are in coordination with different law enforcement agencies. We are expecting to file the first batch of money laundering cases hopefully within the week.”

Guo is at the center of the Senate investigation following a raid on Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated. Documents seized during the raid indicated her involvement in processing documents for the firm’s operations.

Last month, the Court of Appeals ordered the freezing of Guo’s bank accounts and personal assets, along with those of two others linked to the illegal POGO firm. The AMLC has since frozen over PHP 251 million in cash and approximately PHP 465 million in assets, including real properties and motor vehicles.

Arpon disclosed, “With regard to the Zun Yuan case, we have already filed a petition for freeze. At present, we have frozen a total of PHP 251 million… There were also assets frozen: real properties amounting to almost PHP 465 million, and for motor vehicles, PHP 76 million. Also subject to forfeiture are real properties and money.”

Regarding the possibility of a hold departure order for the accused individuals, the AMLC stated that it is up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make that decision. IACAT Undersecretary Nicholas Ty noted, “Once a case was filed in court, that would be sufficient grounds for prosecutors to request that court for an issuance of a hold departure order against all accused for the case.”

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian supported Ty’s remarks, emphasizing the need to prevent further suspects from leaving the country. “Ang punto lang naman natin, let’s prevent something like this from happening again. One account lang P200 plus million na in cash, P400 million in assets… Ganitong mga klaseng tao ang kinakasuhan natin. Di malayo na tatakas din sila,” said Gatchalian. (The point is to prevent something like this from happening again. One account alone has over PHP 200 million in cash, PHP 400 million in assets… These are the kinds of people we are prosecuting. It’s not far-fetched that they might try to escape.)

The Bureau of Immigration has reported that Guo was last known to be in Jakarta, Indonesia as of August 26.

Read related article: Court Orders Freeze on Assets of Mayor Alice Guo, Including 90 Accounts With P28 billion In Bank Transactions