INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Wednesday said it is aiming to file criminal charges against Atty. Elmer Galicia, the lawyer who claimed he personally saw dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo last August 14.
READ: Lawyer who claims he saw Alice Guo vows to prove Aug. 14 meeting
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio made the pronouncement after noting that the information they received from other countries’ immigration authorities disputes Galicia’s claim in his counter affidavit that he met Guo on August 14.
“Based on the information and the verified information coming from the different immigration authorities ng ating Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) neighbors, we don’t believe it to be true,” said Casio in a Bagong Pilipinas Briefing.
“So, inaantay lang po naming iyong iba pang mga verified information coming from our counterparts by our Department of Foreign Affairs and our Department of Justice, and once we get those, we would have enough to be able to file criminal charges against Atty. Galicia kasi lalabas doon na nagsisinungaling po talaga siya,” he added.
(So, we are just waiting for other verified information coming from our counterparts by our Department of Foreign Affairs and our Department of Justice, and once we get those, we would have enough to be able to file criminal charges against Atty. Galicia because it will come out that he is really lying.)
According to Casio, Guo was last tracked in Indonesia after confirming with their counterpart. Guo apparently flew to Batam, Indonesia on August 18.
More charges vs Guo
Meanwhile, Casio in the same briefing said that more cases are already waiting to be filed against Guo.
“There are other cases that are waiting to be filed against the dismissed Mayor Guo Hua Ping (Alice’s real name),”
“So, in the next few weeks ay lalabas din po iyon. Marami na po kasing kaso, lumabas na iyong tax evasion, lumabas na iyong qualified trafficking in person, mayroon ding kaso sa Ombudsman. So, a few more cases will be filed as we proceed,” he added.
(So, in the next few weeks that will also come out. There are already many cases, her tax evasion has come out, her qualified trafficking in person has come out, there is also a case with the Ombudsman. So, a few more cases will be filed as we proceed.)
In terms of the cases already filed against the former mayor, Casio said they are now currently waiting for a Department of Justice panel to come up with a resolution.
Once a resolution has been made, an arrest warrant versus Guo may finally be released.
“If that happens, that will be another triggering mechanism para po makuha natin iyong tinatawag na international arrest warrant or red notice galing sa Interpol,” he said.
(If that happens, that will be another triggering mechanism so that we can get what is called an international arrest warrant or red notice from Interpol.)
It was Senator Risa Hontiveros who first revealed that Guo had already left the Philippines way back in July. Hontiveros said Guo used her Philippine passport to exit the country.
The Bureau of Immigrations (BI), meanwhile, confirmed the information from their counterparts and bared that Guo “left the country illegally” without passing through the Philippine immigration authorities and “illegally traveled to Malaysia as early as July.”
READ: BI: Alice Guo flew out of PH illegally based on intel
As of Aug. 18, the BI said Guo was last tracked in Indonesia.