Philippines: Former Mayor Detained In Indonesia For Alleged Ties With Chinese Criminal Syndicates

On Tuesday, former mayor of the Philippines Alice Guo has recently been detained in Indonesia on allegations of connections with Chinese criminal syndicates and espionage for the Chinese government.

Confirming the development, the Philippine Ministry of Justice said ”This development has been verified by our counterparts in Immigration, who have confirmed that Alice is currently in the custody of the Indonesian Police.”

Further, Guo has been sought by the Philippines Senate for her failure to attend a congressional investigation into her suspected criminal links with Chinese crime organizations.

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How Guo Was Caught?

Meanwhile, the Senate began investigating Guo in May following a casino raid in Bamban that revealed scams connected to a facility partially owned by her.

This discovery sparked public outrage and led Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to impose a ban on online gaming operators. The President also pledged to track down those who helped Guo evade capture.

Authorities have noted that numerous illegal online gambling operations are functioning under the radar of public officials.

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Brief Information On Alice Guo

Formerly the mayor of Bamban, Alice Guo was arrested following an international manhunt.

Last month, Philippine law enforcement agencies, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), filed multiple money laundering charges against Guo and 35 others. As per AMLC, they laundered over 100 million pesos (approximately USD 1.8 million) from criminal activities.

Subsequently, she had previously fled the Philippines in July, traveling through Malaysia and Singapore before arriving in Indonesia with her passport.

(With Inputs From ANI)