Chinese woman who became Philippines mayor gets life for human trafficking

Alice Guo, who pretended she was a Filipina, recruited overseas nationals to transportation retired online scams, accidental prosecutors.

A tribunal successful the Philippines has sentenced a Chinese pistillate – who became a section politician portion masquerading arsenic a Philippine national – and 7 others to beingness successful situation connected quality trafficking charges, a authorities authoritative said.

Alice Guo, 35, who served arsenic politician of a municipality northbound of Manila, was recovered blameworthy connected Thursday of moving a Chinese-operated gambling centre wherever hundreds of radical were conscripted to transportation retired online scams connected members of the public.

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State authoritative Olivia Torrevillas said that Guo – who was arrested successful Indonesia successful September 2024 aft fleeing the Philippines – and 7 different defendants would beryllium jailed for life.

“After implicit conscionable 1 year, the tribunal … gave america a favourable decision. Alice (Guo) was convicted on with 7 different co-accused. Life imprisonment,” Torrevillas said extracurricular the determination tribunal successful Manila.

In March 2024, constabulary raided the sprawling centre linked to Guo, which included bureau buildings, luxury villas and a ample swimming pool, aft a Vietnamese idiosyncratic escaped and alerted police.

More than 700 Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysians, Taiwanese, Indonesians and Rwandans were recovered astatine the site, on with documents allegedly showing that Guo was president of a institution that owned the compound.

Philippines State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas, centre, talks to the media connected Thursday aft the verdict and sentencing of Alice Guo – a Chinese nationalist who became a politician portion masquerading arsenic a Filipina – and 7 others to beingness successful situation connected quality trafficking charges [Jam Sta Rosa/AFP]

A spokesperson for the Philippine Anti-Organised Crime Commission told reporters that Guo and 3 others had been convicted of “organising trafficking” wrong the compound. Four others were recovered blameworthy of “acts of trafficking”, the spokesperson said.

Although Guo was elected politician of Bamban town, the determination of the scam centre raided by police, a Manila tribunal ruled successful June that, arsenic a Chinese citizen, she was ne'er eligible to tally for the presumption successful the archetypal place.

“Her assignment and full mayoral squad were besides declared void,” Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN said successful a study connected Guo’s proceedings connected Thursday.

ABS-CBN said that during inquiries into Guo’s activities, politicians alleged that she was “not a Filipino but a Chinese nationalist who skirted Philippine civilian registry, migration and predetermination laws arsenic an plus of the Chinese government”.

The AFP quality bureau said the Chinese embassy successful Manila did not instantly instrumentality calls seeking remark connected Thursday.

Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros said Guo’s condemnation followed aft a Senate probe and was a “victory against corruption, quality trafficking, cybercrime, and galore different transnational crimes”.

“We volition proceed to request accountability from each authorities bureau that failed successful their duties, and we volition proceed to analyse the afloat grade of Chinese quality operations successful our country,” Hontiveros said.

“And to each those who enabled Alice Guo’s transgression empire: the Philippines is not a playground for exploitation, infiltration and espionage. Accountability is coming.”

The cyberscam manufacture has thrived successful Southeast Asia successful caller years, peculiarly successful Cambodia, Myanmar and the Philippines, wherever thousands of scammers are estimated to beryllium progressive successful the online fraud business.

According to a United Nations report, victims successful the wider portion were conned retired of up to $37bn by online scammers successful 2023.