Indonesia’s Minister of Justice announced on Wednesday that Indonesia will deport former Filipino-Chinese mayor Alice Guo. Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed Guo’s arrest in Indonesia and expressed gratitude for the Indonesian government’s assistance.
Guo is accused of having ties to a Chinese criminal group and laundering over 100 million pesos (approximately 1.8 million US dollars) in criminal activities with accomplices.
She was the former mayor of Bamban, Philippines, and was wanted by the Filipino Senate for refusing to attend a parliamentary investigation into alleged criminal connections.
Guo claims to be a Filipino citizen and denies the allegations against her as “malicious.”
Indonesian Minister of Justice, Supratman Andi Agtas, stated that Guo would be deported back to the Philippines, but the exact time has not been determined yet.
“The timing depends on the results of the police investigation,” the minister told Reuters.
Supratman mentioned that Guo was arrested with a Chinese monk. She received assistance from a former Chinese Communist Party police officer while fleeing from the Philippines, but Supratman did not disclose further details.
Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
President Marcos released a statement saying that in the early hours of Wednesday, Guo was arrested in Tangerang, Indonesia.
The President emphasized that Guo’s arrest should serve as a warning that evading justice is futile, and the long arm of the law will reach them.
“I congratulate all law enforcement officers who made this arrest possible. The Philippines also appreciates the assistance provided by the Indonesian government in this case. The close cooperation between the two governments made this arrest possible,” said the President.
Marcos added that the government will continue to uphold its duty to enforce the rule of law and ensure that Guo receives all legal protections as provided by Filipino laws.
“But we will not allow delays in the resolution of this case. The outcome will be a victory for the Filipino people,” he said.
National Bureau of Investigation director, Jaime Santiago, stated in a press conference that Guo, who had shortened her hair as a disguise, would be handed over to the law enforcement department upon her return to the Philippines and then transferred to the Senate.
Last month, various Filipino law enforcement agencies, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council, submitted multiple money laundering charges against Guo and 35 others to the Justice Department.
Guo, who ran for public office as a Filipino citizen, was later found to have fingerprints matching those of a Chinese citizen named Alice Guo.
After being relieved of her mayor position in Bamban, Guo fled the Philippines in July, using her Filipino passport to travel to neighboring countries Malaysia and Singapore before arriving in Indonesia in August.
In March this year, authorities raided a casino in Bamban owned by Guo, revealing an offshore gambling den primarily catering to Chinese nationals on part of land owned by her. Nearly 700 enslaved workers were rescued, and evidence of crimes like fraud, human trafficking, and kidnapping was seized. The Filipino Senate initiated an investigation in May.
Guo’s father, who is of Chinese descent, has been suspected of espionage for the Chinese Communist Party, a claim that Guo denies.
Amid this case, the Philippines has become increasingly skeptical of Chinese activities, with tensions escalating in the busy waterways of the South China Sea.
(This article was based on reports from Reuters.)