Guo siblings, Ong face up to 1,218 years for money laundering

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) stated on Thursday that dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and her co-accused could face from 609 to 1,218 years in prison if found guilty of money laundering charges.

Lawyer Adrian Arpon from the AMLC testified before a Senate hearing that each count under Sections A, B, and C of the Anti-Money Laundering Act carries a penalty ranging from seven to 14 years of imprisonment.

The AMLC, along with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), have filed 87 counts of money laundering against Guo, her sister Shiela Guo, Cassandra Li Ong, and 28 others for their alleged involvement in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros reminded Shiela Guo that even at the minimum sentence of seven years per count, the total imprisonment could exceed a lifetime.

Hontiveros expressed her intention to uncover who assisted and enabled the Guo siblings and Ong in their alleged criminal activities involving POGOs, presenting conflicting travel information about their escape route.

Shiela Guo testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Justice and Human Rights hearing but stuck to her story of leaving the country through a van ride from Bamban, Tarlac, via an unknown pier to Malaysia and Indonesia, despite presented evidence suggesting otherwise.