COURT OF APPEALS FREEZES ASSETS OF SUSPENDED MAYOR ALICE GUO, OTHERS LINKED TO ILLEGAL POGO

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has frozen the assets of suspended Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac and other individuals allegedly involved in the illegal operations of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).

The Appellate Court granted the petition of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) filed on July 9, seeking to freeze the assets of individuals and entities allegedly involved in illegal (POGO) activities.

Aside from Guo, the court also freezes the assets of Zhiyang Huang and Baoying Lin, who are linked to the raided illegal POGO hub in Bamban town.

The freeze order was issued by the CA on July 10, covering  several assets, including 90 bank accounts across 14 financial institutions, several real properties, and high-value personal properties, such as luxury vehicles and a helicopter.

According to AMLC, the move aims to prevent the dissipation of assets while the investigation and legal proceedings continues.

AMLC said the mentioned individuals are suspected of orchestrating human trafficking and fraudulent activities through entities such as Zun Yuan Technology Inc., BAOFU Land Development Inc., and Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc..

“The investigation uncovered significant financial transactions and assets amassed by these individuals as well as their involvement in money laundering, human trafficking, and other illicit operations,” AMLC said.

AMLC Executive Director Matthew David said the  Court of Appeals’ freeze order is a critical move in the fight against money laundering and related criminal activities.

“Freezing these assets protects the integrity of our institutions and shields the public from the harms of unlawful activities. Our persistent crackdown on illicit proceeds of criminal activities highlight our bid to protect the integrity of our financial system and ensures that those who perpetrate these crimes will not enjoy the proceeds,” said David.

Under Section 10 of Republic Act No. 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001, a person or entity’s bank accounts, real properties, and personal assets may be frozen if authorities find sufficient reason to do so. Once done, they cannot use their assets and properties until the order expires.

Guo, who is currently suspended from her post, has been the subject of a Senate probe on her alleged link to the POGO activities in her town.