An apprehended ex-town mayor who escaped the Philippines amid allegations of involvement in setting up an illicit online gaming and scam center mainly serving Chinese clients has been captured near Jakarta, Indonesia, officials stated on Wednesday. The National Police’s international division chief, Khrisna Murti, mentioned that Alice Guo was apprehended at a residence in Tangerang, a city adjacent to Jakarta, shortly before midnight on Tuesday. Guo is currently detained and awaiting extradition to the Philippines. The arrest was a result of collaboration between Indonesian and Filipino authorities, Murti noted. Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed gratitude to Indonesian officials for the arrest. Marcos warned that evading justice was not an option and assured that Guo would be returned to the Philippines to face numerous criminal charges.
Following her departure from the Philippines in July, Guo was traced to Malaysia and Singapore before reappearing in Indonesia. In Indonesia, two companions who reportedly left the Philippines with her without undergoing standard immigration and clearance procedures were recently apprehended. Guo, who ran for and won the mayoral seat in the rural town of Bamban in Tarlac province during the 2022 elections, was charged with playing a role in establishing a sprawling complex near the town hall utilized as a center for illegal online gambling and scams targeting mostly Chinese clients, where gambling is prohibited.
Guo also faced allegations of concealing her Chinese citizenship to run for public office, a role exclusively reserved for Filipino citizens. Some senators even insinuated that she could be operating as a Chinese spy. Despite denying any misconduct, Guo was ousted from her position for serious violations by the Ombudsman, an agency responsible for probing and prosecuting government officials accused of offenses such as graft and corruption. Marcos took immediate action in July by banning numerous Chinese-operated online gaming operations, citing their involvement in heinous activities like human trafficking, torture, kidnappings, and murder.
The eradication of Chinese-managed online gambling establishments, estimated to exceed 400 throughout the Philippines and utilizing tens of thousands of Chinese and Southeast Asian workers, received support from Beijing. This crackdown led to the closure of vast complexes in the Philippines where authorities suspected the illegal recruitment and exploitation of thousands of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian workers enduring dire conditions. Philippine lawmakers alleged that the extensive online gambling industry thrived due to institutional corruption and substantial bribes to officials.
Indonesia and the Philippines inked an extradition agreement back in 1976.
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Reported by Gomez from Manila, Philippines. A contribution to this article was made by Niniek Karmini, an Associated Press writer based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
