Former Philippines Mayor Alice Guo has been arrested in Indonesia for alleged links to Chinese crime syndicates.
Guo, who also has Chinese nationality and goes by the name Guo Hua Ping, is wanted by the Philippine Senate for refusing to participate in a congressional investigation into his alleged criminal ties, the Justice Department said.
She has denied the allegations, insisting she is a natural-born Philippine citizen, facing “malicious allegations”.
“This development has been verified by our counterparts at Immigration, who have confirmed that Ms. Guo is currently in Indonesian police custody,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
Guo, a former mayor of the city of Bamban, about 100km (62 miles) north of Manila, was arrested at 11:58pm on Tuesday in the city of Tangerang, Jakarta. A video shared by Indonesian media on X shows her being led up a white-walled staircase by enforcement officers.
Philippine law enforcement agencies, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), last month jointly filed multiple counts of money laundering against Guo and 35 others before the Department of Justice.
The AMLC alleged that Guo and his co-conspirators laundered more than 100 million pesos ($1.8m) from the criminal activities.
Lawyer Stephen David, Guo’s counsel on the record, did not immediately respond to Reuters news agency’s request for comment.
“The arrest of Alice Guo is a testament to the tireless efforts of our law enforcement agencies and the strength of international cooperation in bringing fugitives to justice,” Justice Secretary Boeing Remulla said in a statement, according to ABS-CBN news channel. Philippines.
Guo, who was ousted as mayor, fled the country in July, traveling first to Malaysia and Singapore and then to Indonesia using his Philippine passport, the Philippines’ anti-crime agency said.
The Senate opened an investigation into his activities in May after authorities raided a casino in the town of Bamban and law enforcement officials said the scams were being run from a facility built on land partially owned by the mayor.
The discovery caused a public outcry and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr The latter ordered a ban on online gaming operators for their suspected links with organized crime.
Marcos has also vowed to go after people “supporting her flight”.
Authorities believe there are several hundred illegal online gambling establishments operating there Scam centers under the noses of public officials.
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