Ex-Mayor Alice Guo Returns to Philippines to Face Senate Investigation

Alice Guo, a former mayor accused of ties to Chinese organized crime, returns to the Philippines to face a Senate investigation. After being arrested in Jakarta for immigration offenses, she arrived in Manila under heavy security, denying all allegations and claiming she has faced death threats.

Alice Guo, a former mayor who went into hiding after accusations of links to Chinese organized crime, has returned to the Philippines, where she is expected to face the Senate over the case, according to Al Jazeera. Guo, wearing an orange T-shirt marked 'detainee' and a black face mask, arrived in Manila early Friday morning.

Philippine media reported that Guo traveled on a chartered jet from Jakarta, where she was arrested earlier this week for immigration offenses. She was accompanied by Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and Philippine National Police chief, General Rommel Francisco Marbil. Speaking to the media after her arrival, Guo claimed she had been the target of death threats. Most of the time, she kept her back to the media and looked at the wall.

Abalos promised security for the former mayor but urged her to disclose all names involved to serve justice and end the ordeal. Guo, former mayor of Bamban town, fled the country in July and faces a Senate panel investigating her alleged ties to Chinese organized crime syndicates running cyberscam operations. She denied the allegations, calling them 'malicious'.

Guo, who also has Chinese nationality and goes by the name Guo Hua Ping, was expected to appear before the panel on September 9, according to Rappler. Philippine law enforcement, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), filed several counts of money laundering against Guo and 35 others with the justice department. Her removal from office came in August due to grave misconduct related to illegal gaming operations uncovered in Bamban.

(With inputs from agencies.)