A fugitive former mayor in the Philippines accused of human trafficking and links to Chinese organised crime has been arrested in Indonesia, according to Philippine authorities who are seeking her extradition.
Alice Leal Guo, a former mayor of a town north of capital Manila, has been on the run since being linked to a Chinese-run online gambling centre where hundreds of people were forced to run scams or risk torture.
Authorities accused the former Bamban mayor of involvement in the illicit operation — and of being a Chinese national masquerading as a Filipina in order to run for office.
Guo was arrested by Indonesian police in Jakarta late 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,” Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told AFP on Wednesday, detailing the grounds for Guo’s arrest.
The Philippines has requested Guo’s extradition, and Manila’s Bureau of Immigration and National Bureau of Investigation are coordinating with Indonesian authorities to secure her return “in the soonest possible time”, NBI Director Jaime Santiago told AFP.
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 Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla hailed Guo’s arrest as “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 thanked the Indonesian government for their assistance on the arrest.
“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 said on social media.
