The Department of Justice said yesterday that criminal charges have been filed against Cassandra Li Ong and Shiela Guo also known as Zhang Mier.
DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty said Shiela Guo faces cases for disobedience to legislative summons and using a false Philippine passport while Cassandra Li Ong, representative of Lucky South 99 POGO, would face disobedience to summons and obstruction of justice cases.
Ty said money laundering cases will also be filed against Shiela Guo and Ong.
He added that qualified human trafficking would soon be filed against Ong for her alleged links to the POGO in Porac, Pampanga.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives quad committee has allowed Ong to testify before the Senate Committee on Women chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros on the POGO issue.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, head of the megal panel, made the announcement before the closing of the 13-hour-long hearing last Wednesday.
As this developed, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian described as “premature” suggestions to use Guo or Zhang Mier as “state witness” against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping.
In Thursday’s Kapihan sa Senado, Gatchalian said it is still too early to use her a state witness with regard to the illegal POGO operations in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga.
He also has misgivings if Shiela will testify against the former mayor.
“If she will be a state witness, what we want is for her to give information on Alice Guo and what she’s doing particularly her involvement in POGO,” he said.
But he admitted that it will be difficult because she and Alice Guo have the same lawyer.
Furthermore, the senator noted that there were several gaps and loopholes in her testimonies on her escape with Alice and Wesley Guo, and her association with them and Ong.
“There were also many inconsistent details. She said it was her first time to be with Cassandra in Malaysia, but there was flight details that she was with her and Warren Yu,”said Gatchalian.
“Shiela also said she has no knowledge about the businesses of the Guo’s but her name appeared in the documents that she’s a corporate secretary, treasurer or Chief Financial Officer and incorporator for the past nine to 10 years and she signed the documents 96 times,” he said
