MANILA, Philippines – Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors moved to sue Shiela Guo (Zhang Mier) and Katherine Cassandra Ong over disobedience to summons.
In addition, prosecutors also ordered the filing of a criminal charge against Guo for alleged violation of the Philippine passport act for using a false Filipino passport, according to a resolution made public on Wednesday, August 28. Ong, meanwhile, is also indicted for obstruction of justice.
The disobedience to summons charges stem from Guo and Ong’s evasion of arrest orders against them. Guo, along with her relatives, were ordered arrested and detained by the Senate for snubbing the inquiry probing Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). Ong also snubbed the House hearing on POGOs so she was cited in contempt and was also ordered arrested and detained.
All charges are bailable.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said the charge sheet against the two have already been prepared. The cases will be filed within the day, he added.
Shiela was first tagged as the sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo. Shiela, like the dismissed mayor, is a co-incorporator in Baofu Land Development Incorporated, which leased its land to Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated, later renamed Zun Yuan Technology. This is the POGO in Bamban raided over human trafficking and other alleged violations.
Shiela revealed on Wednesday that she and her relatives fled the country by boat. She also revealed on Wednesday that the dismissed mayor is not her biological sister.
Ong, meanwhile, has ties to the Lucky South 99 POGO in Porac, Pampanga. Authorities said the Porac POGO was a hotbed for various illicit activities, including human trafficking, forced labor, and scams. Ong hired former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque for the real estate firm Whirlwind that leased its land to the Porac POGO.
The two were deported to the country last week after they were arrested by Indonesian authorities. The dismissed mayor, however, is still in hiding. – Rappler.com