Alice Guo, cohorts may face 1,000 years jail time, but is that really possible?
Dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her alleged cohorts may face more than 1,000 years of imprisonment should they be found guilty of the multiple counts of money laundering cases filed against them, according to an official from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).
During a Senate hearing on Guo's escape from the Philippines, AMLC Investigating and Enforcement Department Deputy Director Adrian Arpon explained that the crime of money laundering is penalized with 14 years of imprisonment.
There are currently 87 counts of money laundering filed against Guo and other respondents, stemming from their alleged use of around P7 million for the operations of an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub in Guo's hometown.
Her other cohorts include her supposed sister Shiela Guo, the representative of another raided POGO hub Cassandra Li Ong, and former Technology and Livelihood Resource Center Deputy Director General Dennis Cunanan.
Guo's family members Jian Zhong Guo, Lin Wenyi, Seimen Guo, and others connected to BAOFU Land Development Inc., Hongsheng Gaming Technology Inc., and Zun Yuan Technology Inc. are likewise facing charges in line with money laundering.
The cases were filed by the AMLC, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission on Aug. 30.
"Kapag naconvict po kayo Ms. Shiela, kasama si Guo Hua Ping at yung mga 28 pang ibang tao, seven to 14 years ang parusa ng pagkabilanggo per count. May 87 counts po na nakahain. So kahit kuhain natin yung seven years minimum, times 87, eh medyo matagal-tagal po 'yun," Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.
"Medyo lampas na po sa isang lifetime kahit doon sa minimum seven years, kahit sa isang count lamang pag isipan niyo po sana 'yon Ms. Shiela yung narinig niyong sagot ng AMLC sa atin," she added.
Should Guo and her "co-conspirators" be found guilty, they can be punished with 609 to 1,218 years of jail time.
Apart from the money laundering charges, Shiela also got an arrest order from the Senate due to immigration violations. The NBI also found her to be a Chinese citizen named Zhang Mier who "fraudulently acquired" a Philippine passport upon examining her fingerprints and other records.
Ong, meanwhile, is facing charges of obstruction of justice and violation of the passport law, as well as a contempt order from the House of Representatives.
Can someone be jailed for 1,000 years?
"A law may be harsh, but it is the law."
That's what Atty. Jefferson Legado told PhilSTAR L!fe when asked if it's possible for a person to be penalized with more than 1,000 years in jail.
"In the event that 87 counts of money laundering were proven, the judge must impose the correct sentence which the convict must serve successively," he explained.
"But since our criminal law only limits imprisonment to a maximum of 40 years, the thousand years sentence seems inconsequential," he added.
Atty. Carlo John Pascual said that a 1,000-year sentence is possible.
"It is possible if the prosecution will be able to prove beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused for each count of money laundering filed/charged against the latter," he said.
Pascual added that the reclusion perpetual with 40-year maximum imprisonment applies to case of crimes committed under the Revised Penal Code.
"The Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), being a special law, provides for its own penalties, which must be applied in case of violation thereof," he told L!fe.
According to Sec. 14 of Republic Act No. 9160, or the AMLA, penalties for money laundering range from seven to fourteen years and a fine of not less than P3 million.
After leaving the Philippines in the middle of a Senate probe on the alleged illegal operations of POGO hubs, Guo was finally arrested in Indonesia when authorities from Tangerang City caught up to her on Sept. 4 at around 1:30 a.m.
As of writing, she is on the way to the Philippines with Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. and Philippine National Police Chief Rommel Marbil.