Metro Manila, Philippines – The International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol has been alerted about the case of dismissed Mayor Alice Guo, a lawmaker said on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
During the weekly Kapihan sa Senado forum, Hontiveros said she received information from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that it had reported the former mayor’s passport to Interpol, particularly its local counterpart.
“Ibig sabihin, dahil officially ni-notify na ng DFA ang Interpol, and particularly yung Philippine component nila na Philippine Center on Transnational Crimes, ay pwede nang i-determine ang Interpol ano yung mga appropriate actions that they can take. At pumasok na rin ito sa atensyon nila bilang kaugnay ng isyu ng transnational crime,” Hontiveros said.
[Translation: This means that since the DFA has officially notified Interpol, particularly the Philippine component, the Philippine Center on Transnational Crimes, Interpol can now determine what appropriate actions they can take. It has also come to their attention as it is related to the issue of transnational crime.]
The report also covers Guo’s siblings, Shiela Leal Guo and Wesley Leal Guo, as well as Cassandra Li Ong, who was also linked to illegal offshore gaming.
Hontiveros said Interpol could investigate the matter and issue notices. According to the Interpol website, notices are “international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.”
There are different types of notices depending on the action required. A Blue Notice prompts authorities to gather additional information about a person’s identity, location, or activities in connection with a criminal investigation. A Red Notice seeks the location and arrest of individuals wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
Hontiveros said the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality, in collaboration with the committee on justice, will resume its investigation into illegal offshore gaming operations on Tuesday, Aug. 27.
The probe will focus on how Guo managed to exit the country despite a pending Senate investigation and subject to an arrest order for her alleged involvement in illegal online gaming. Guo was last tracked in Indonesia.
