Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has expressed doubts about the credibility of Shiela Guo, purportedly the sister of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, stating that she is not fit to serve as a state witness due to her unreliability.
Speaking in an interview after a Senate budget hearing on Wednesday, Remulla said, "Hindi reliable eh (she's not reliable)." He elaborated that the main issue lies with the reliability of her statements. "She's not a reliable witness so far. It needs to be proven that her testimony is truly necessary," he added.
Last week, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) identified Shiela Guo as a Chinese citizen named Zhang Mier, who allegedly obtained a Philippine passport fraudulently. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Guo admitted she was born in China and arrived in the Philippines in 2001, brought by her foster father to assist in his business. However, she denied knowledge of the operations of a raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Bamban or the whereabouts of her supposed sister, Alice Guo.
Remulla indicated that Guo seemed to be misleading authorities. "She keeps saying, 'I don't know, I don't know,' but I find it hard to believe that she doesn't know, considering she has been in the Philippines for a long time," he said.
Despite these doubts, Justice Undersecretary Nicky Ty previously suggested that Shiela Guo could potentially qualify as a state witness. "She isn't the mastermind behind this illegal activity. If we believe her behavior, it seems she was just dragged into it or implicated by her companions," Ty noted.
The final decision on whether Shiela Guo could be a state witness will rest with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the courts. Meanwhile, Remulla dismissed another claim related to the case: that Alice Guo traveled by fishing boat for three days to reach Sabah. "Where would they sleep on a fishing boat for three days in rough seas? That's why I don't believe their story," he said.
During the Senate hearing, Shiela confirmed their departure from the Philippines involved several boat transfers, including a small boat, a fishing vessel, and finally a smaller boat that took them to Malaysia.
The National Prosecution Service (NPS) has recommended charges against Shiela Guo for disobedience to a Senate summons and allegedly using a fake Philippine passport. Charges were also recommended against Cassandra Li Ong, the representative of the raided POGO hub in Porac, Pampanga.
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