A fugitive former mayor in the Philippines accused of human trafficking and links to Chinese organized crime has been arrested in Indonesia, Philippine authorities said, while the extradition process was under way.
Alice Guo (郭華萍), a former mayor of a town north of Manila, has been on the run since being linked to a Chinese-run online gambling center where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture.
Authorities have accused the former Bamban mayor of involvement in the illicit operation and of being a Chinese national masquerading as a Philippine national to run for office.
Photo: AP
Guo was arrested by Indonesian police in Jakarta late on Tuesday, the Philippine Department of Justice said in a statement.
“Indonesia tagged Guo as an illegal alien, since they know that she is a fugitive here in the Philippines, then there was also a misrepresentation of her nationality in her passport,” Philippine Bureau of Immigration spokeswoman Dana Sandoval told reporters yesterday, detailing the grounds for Guo’s arrest.
Indonesia later yesterday said that it would deport Guo to the Philippines.
Indonesian Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas said that the time of deportation was still to be determined.
The immigration agency and the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) are coordinating with Indonesian authorities to secure her return “in the soonest possible time,” NBI Director Jaime Santiago told reporters.
Guo is also wanted by the Philippine Senate for refusing to attend hearings on her alleged ties to scam farm operations in Bamban.
She faces charges of graft, money laundering and human trafficking in relation to the scam farm raid in Bamban.
Philippine Secretary of Justice Jesus Crispin Remulla said that Guo’s arrest was “a testament to the tireless efforts of our law enforcement agencies and the strength of international cooperation in bringing fugitives to justice.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr thanked the Indonesian government for its assistance on the arrest of Guo.
“Let this serve as a warning to those who attempt to evade justice: Such is an exercise in futility. The arm of the law is long and it will reach you,” Marcos wrote on social media.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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