Tax evasion case filed against dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo
The Bureau of Internal Revenue filed a tax evasion complaint against dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo.
GMA News reported that the BIR filed the case against Guo as well as Jack Uy and Baofu officials on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at the Department of Justice.
In June, BIR commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said he ordered the agency to look into the individuals mentioned in the Senate hearings with Guo and their accumulated wealth.
"The BIR will fully cooperate with the Senate investigation on Mayor Guo. The BIR will also conduct its own investigation against the said individuals and entities," Lumagui said in a statement, noting that due process will be followed.
"If the income declared with the BIR does not match the value of the properties amassed during the same taxable years, criminal cases for tax evasion will be filed. The same charges can be filed against conspirators and the corporate officers of the companies used to amass such wealth," he continued.
Guo was dismissed from service for grave misconduct in connection to the alleged illegal activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator hubs in Bamban on Tuesday, Aug. 13. All of her retirement benefits have been forfeited and she is perpetually disqualified to re-enter government service in the future.
Aside from tax evasion, Guo is facing another criminal charge along with 13 others for their alleged ties to a raided POGO hub involved in alleged human trafficking and scams. It was filed by authorities led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission in late June.
She as well as her family members, ex-government official Dennis Cunanan, and her former accountant Nancy Gamo are likewise dealing with an arrest order for skipping hearings at the Senate on the issue.
Guo has been subject to scrutiny since she was allegedly linked to two POGOs in her bailiwick: Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated, which was raided in February 2023, and Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, which was raided in March this year.
She was questioned as to why she was supposedly unaware of such alleged illegal activities. In past Senate hearings, she was also asked about her background to confirm her nationality, especially since she currently holds a high post in the local government.
Guo has since maintained that she's Filipino and has denied having ties to POGOs in Bamban and being a Chinese spy. She claims that she was raised on the farm of her father, was homeschooled, and that her maid of a mother left her.
But as weeks passed, authorities discovered discrepancies in several documents involving Guo, as well as holes in her stories.