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‘Guo Hua Ping is a professional scam artist. Her entire identity is built on lies,’ Senator Risa Hontiveros says
MANILA, Philippines – The signature of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo did not match the one in her counter-affidavit notarized by a lawyer, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago confirmed to Rappler on Wednesday, September 18, that the results of their dactyloscopy examination showed that there was a signature mismatch on the counter-affidavit notarized by lawyer Elmer Galicia.
The issue of Guo’s notarized affidavit was essential in piecing together information on how Guo was able to escape. Authorities said Guo left the country as early as July, but the dismissed mayor was still able to file an affidavit with the Department of Justice in August.
Notarial law requires the notary public to personally see the client at the time of notarization, and Galicia previously insisted that she personally saw Guo when he notarized the document. However, Guo’s recent arrest in Indonesia earlier this month serves as undeniable proof that he was not present during the notarization.
“Guo Hua Ping is a professional scam artist. Her entire identity is built on lies,” Senator Risa Hontiveros, among the lead lawmakers who probed Alice Guo and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO), said in statement.
In August, Justice Undersecretary Felix Nicholas Ty warned of penalties that the Supreme Court may impose on Galicia, resulting in the cancellation of his notarial register, if he is proven to have committed lapses.
Guo is at the center of the offshore gaming controversy over her alleged ties with a POGO in her hometown. The former mayor was implicated due to her incorporation of a leasing company that rented its spaces to a POGO accused of trafficking and torturing its workers.
At present, Guo is already charged in court for graft and trafficking, and is also facing criminal investigations for tax evasion and money laundering. She is currently under police custody.– with a report from Bonz Magsambol/Rappler.com
