Supporters of ex-Bamban, Philippines mayor Alice Guo dangle filed a petition on her behalf, claiming she was unfairly eliminated from issue of job. Guo, linked to crimes allegedly dedicated at an offshore gaming operation in town, reportedly fled the country in July.
The Guo camp filed a motion to brush off the July court action that declared her election null and void. The motion was filed on 30 August and reported by MSN on Tuesday (3 September). The Philippines Place of work of the Solicitor Strange (OSG) acknowledged Guo was “no longer a Filipino citizen but a Chinese national” when she ran for and won public issue of job in 2022.
Her steady identity came to light after the March raid of a Philippines Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) in Bamban. Investigators then found Guo was born Guo Hua Ping, of China, and can dangle funded the POGO by design of a Chinese prison syndicate.
“No two individuals, no longer even equal twins, dangle the identical fingerprints,” the OSG acknowledged in its petition. “Guo Hua Ping is no longer a Filipino citizen by birth or naturalisation. Thus, (she) is illegally conserving her issue and would possibly maybe maybe well well very neatly be ousted therefrom.”
It added that Guo’s alleged prison habits was adequate grounds for her suspension and last elimination.
Immigration files uncover Guo arrived in the Philippines in 1999, as a 9-365 days-dilapidated. Completely different accounts bid she didn’t enter the country except she was a teen.
Relish scams, forced labour
POGOs were first licensed in 2016 to provide offshore playing products and providers.
But some specialised in on-line appreciate and crypto scams. Many were staffed by human-trafficking victims who were forced to work under possibility of torture. Illicit POGOs were additionally thought of as highly weak to money laundering.
On 22 July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr banned the business outright. In a issue of the nation tackle he acknowledged it had was a centre of “financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even slay”.
“The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of authorized pointers must cease,” he acknowledged.
Guo purportedly was segment proprietor of the Bamban POGO. Following the raid, she was a no-uncover at hearings on the matter and claimed she was being unfairly stressed. Then she dropped out of witness, reportedly the utilization of her Philippine passport to hover the country.
Charges mount, search continues
Guo faces charges of tax evasion, money laundering human trafficking.
The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) acknowledged she and 35 co-defendants were “nice looking about a posh draw of cash laundering linked to the crimes of estafa (fraud), certified trafficking in persons and violations of the Securities Regulation Code”.
They allegedly laundered better than ₱100m (£1.350m/€1.6m/$1.769m) in sick-gotten proceeds.
Guo has since been tracked to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. In a 21 August publish on X, Marcos vowed to trace down the fugitive ex-mayor and withhold her cronies responsible.
“The departure of Alice Guo has laid bare the corruption that undermines our justice system and erodes public trust,” he acknowledged. “Let me be optimistic: heads will roll.”
