Zhang Qiaowei talks about Xila Guo as a witness: It is too early to draw conclusions now

Photo of Zhang Mier, also known as Shiela Guo, said to be the sister of Alice Guo, the sacked mayor of Bamban, Tarlac. — Photo courtesy of the Immigration Bureau.

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Thursday it is “too early” to tell whether sacked Bamban City Mayor Alice Guo’s Shiela Guo can serve as a witness against her alleged sister.

Gatchalian said if Sheila is to become a witness against Alice, she must disclose all information and tell the truth about the misconduct of the sacked mayor, especially the role Alice played in the expansion of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).

“But I think it will be difficult because first of all, Guo Huaping’s lawyer, also known as Guo Aili, is the same person as her lawyer. So, I suspect that Guo Huaping is probably paying his lawyer. So, it will be difficult for him to say the information against Guo Huaping, but Guo Huaping paid the lawyer’s fees. Because, they only have one lawyer,” said Zhang Qiaowei at the Forum.

(But I think this would be difficult because Guo Huaping aka Alice Guo and Shiela’s lawyer are the same person. So my hunch is that Guo Huaping pays Shiela’s legal counsel. If Alice pays her lawyer, it would be difficult for Shiela to disclose information against Alice.)

Gatchalian also said it was too early to tell if Sheila was right for the role, noting they were yet to determine if she gave a complete and accurate account of Alice’s connection to Pogo and their escape from the Philippines.

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“It is too early to say whether he can be a state witness or not because he has not given complete details. It is based on documents and we have proved that he was at the centre of the activities and the documents he signed. So, just based on the documents, he knew something. But how deep he knew, it is too early to say,” he explained.

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(It is too early to tell whether she can be a state witness because she has not disclosed all that she knew. According to the available documents, she was the central figure in these activities and she also signed these documents. Therefore, based on these documents alone, she knew something. But as to the extent of her knowledge, it is impossible to judge now.)

A document provided by Zhang Qiaowei’s office shows that Sheila served as company secretary and financial director of some companies under Alice. Sheila previously claimed that she only managed the family’s embroidery business.

“So just from the documents, he was at the heart of the Kuo family’s activities. He was the center of the business, he was the center of their financial dealings,” Gatchalian said.

(So ​​what that means is that based on the documents alone, she was the center of the Kuo family’s activities. She was the center of the business, she was the center of the financial transactions.)

read: Arrest Alice Guo et al. – Senate

Justice Minister Jesus Crispin Remulla had previously said Hila was too unreliable to serve as a state witness.

“I don’t believe Sheila. I don’t believe what he said. It’s just that I don’t know, and then the answer is vague. First of all, I don’t believe Alice Kuo would board a fishing boat for three days to reach Sabah,” Remullah told reporters at the time.

(I don’t believe Shiela. I don’t believe what she says. She keeps saying I don’t know and keeps giving vague answers. First of all, I don’t believe Alice would take a three-day fishing boat to Sabah.)

He was referring to Shiela’s previous statement that she, Alice and Wesley Guo fled the Philippines in a white boat. She said they took three boats in total – a large boat and two small boats – to Malaysia.