MANILA – The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the freezing of the assets of suspended Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo and several other individuals under investigation for alleged involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
According to the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), the July 10 freeze order encompasses a wide range of assets, including 90 bank accounts across 14 financial institutions, several real properties, and high-value personal properties.
“The Court of Appeals has approved the AMLC’s ex parte petition for the issuance of a freeze order, effectively freezing the assets of individuals and entities allegedly involved in these illegal activities,” the AMLC said.
“This decisive action aims to prevent the dissipation of assets while the investigation and legal proceedings continue,” it said.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, who shared the AMLC statement to the media, said that Guo has 36 bank accounts under her name.
Also included in the AMLC’s petition are the assets of Zhiyang Huang, and Baoying Lin, who 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 AMLC said the premises of Baofu Land housed numerous workers, including trafficked individuals, who were forced to participate in fraudulent online activities.
Guo and several other people were accused of qualified human trafficking in a complaint filed in the Department of Justice by the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission last month./PN
