Gregor Johann Haas —Photo from Bureau of Immigration
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine and Indonesian authorities are in talks to exchange Alice Guo, for an Australian man wanted by Jakarta on drug trafficking charges, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) following the arrest of the dismissed Bamban, Tarlac, mayor in Indonesia.
Gilberto Cruz, executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), confirmed to the Inquirer that Indonesian police took Guo, who is a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping, into custody shortly past 1 a.m. on Wednesday (Manila time) at a hotel in Tangerang City west of Jakarta in Banten province.
Indonesian media reported that Manila and Jakarta were negotiating to swap Guo for Gregor Johann Haas, who was arrested in Bogo City in Cebu in May after Interpol issued a red notice against the Australian for alleged drug smuggling, a capital offense in Indonesia.
READ: Alice Guo arrested in Indonesia – DOJ, NBI
An officer of Indonesia’s embassy in Manila confirmed to the Inquirer that informal talks were ongoing between the two sides.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the proposed exchange of Guo for Hass was one of the “complications” in bringing her back.
“It’s not that simple. There are other issues between Indonesia and the Philippines that will have to be resolved regarding this. We have many pending incidents,” Remulla said at a press conference. He did not elaborate.
It is unclear if one complication he was referring to is whether the Philippines, which has no capital punishment, would extradite or deport a person to a country where he could be sentenced to death.
Remulla and the Department of Foreign Affairs have not responded to the Inquirer’s request for clarification on such a policy.
‘High-profile fugitive’
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) had described Haas, father of a popular Australian rugby player, as “a high-profile fugitive” and alleged member of the Sinaloa cartel, a large international organized crime syndicate based in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. The cartel specializes in drug trafficking and money laundering.
The National Narcotics Board of Indonesia issued a warrant of arrest on Haas, 46, last Jan. 29 for attempting to smuggle five kilos of methamphetamine from Guadalajara, Mexico, into Indonesia. Under Indonesia’s drug laws, he could be sentenced to death by firing squad.
Jakarta proposal
In a video message posted on Facebook and Instagram, President Marcos thanked law enforcers who made Guo’s arrest possible and the Indonesian government for its assistance.
The Indonesian Embassy officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks between the two sides regarding the exchange were still ongoing, told the Inquirer that Philippine authorities have reached out to Indonesian Ambassador Agus Widjojo about Jakarta’s proposal.
The officer said the ambassador received calls from Filipino officials to confirm Guo’s arrest and what could be done after that.
Guo is facing human trafficking and money laundering complaints in the DOJ in relation to a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in Bamban.
Her “sister” Shiela Guo and their associate Cassandra Li Ong and more than 30 other people are included in the P7 billion money laundering complaint.
Guo is also facing a quo warranto case before a Manila Regional Trial Court regarding her ineligibility to hold public office for being a Chinese citizen.
What about Wesley?
The DOJ said that Guo’s brother, Wesley, was in Hong Kong.
Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said that immigration chief Norman Tansingco was coordinating with his counterpart in Hong Kong to go through “the same process” that facilitated the arrest and deportation to the Philippines last month of Shiela Guo, also known by her real Chinese name as Zhang Mier.
Remulla suspected that Wesley traveled to Hong Kong using a Chinese passport. He said the DOJ will seek the cancellation of Wesley’s and Shiela’s Filipino passports, which he said were “fraudulently obtained.”
“It actually points to a national security problem. For a foreigner to pretend to be Filipino, that’s a big problem. Fraudulently acquired passports have heavy implications,” Remulla said, adding that this would be investigated.
The Philippine National Police said the Indonesian police was holding Guo in the Senayan area in South Jakarta, according to PNP spokesperson Police Col. Jean Fajardo.
She said PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil spoke via Zoom with his Indonesian counterpart on Wednesday morning to discuss her deportation.
Guo was also briefly shown by the Indonesian police to Marbil during the call but he didn’t speak to her, Fajardo said.
To be handed to Senate
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos was coordinating the handover process with the Indonesian ambassador, according to her.
Fajardo said a 2017 memorandum of understanding on exchanging intelligence information and combating transnational crime between the Philippine and Indonesia police “played a big role” in Guo’s arrest.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago said that when Guo arrives in the country, she would be handed over to the sergeant at arms of the Senate, where she is facing an arrest warrant for failing to attend hearings on her alleged involvement with Pogos.
Indonesia’s law minister Supratman Andi Agtas was quoted saying Guo was arrested along with a Chinese monk and was helped by a former Chinese police officer during her escape from the Philippines.
No timetable yet
Guo would be deported to the Philippines, but the timing of her return had yet to be fixed and would depend on the police investigation results, Supratman said in a report.
Senators thanked the Indonesian government for arresting Guo, who should name the public officials who helped her establish the Pogo hub in Bamban.
“She has no other choice. This is the dead end for her,” Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said in a media briefing. “We know that she’s facing several cases already and she has nowhere to go. She cannot escape anymore.”
It was Gatchalian who first divulged Guo’s links with the illegal Pogo activities.
He refused to identify the government officials who supposedly helped set up the Pogo hub in deference to the Senate rule that barred disclosure of issues tackled during closed-door proceedings.
“Stopping Pogos is only one aspect. It’s important to identify and hold to account the government officials, politicians and even law enforcers who helped set up Pogos in our country,” he added.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the President’s strong public statements against Pogos and Guo’s escape were critical in prodding law enforcers to immediately act and coordinate with their foreign counterparts in locating the sacked mayor and her alleged cohorts.
“To our friends in Indonesia, terima kasih (thank you),” she said. “Thank you so much to all those who worked together to arrest (Guo).”
Senate President Francis Escudero said Guo’s arrest was a “crucial breakthrough” in the government’s fight against organized crime syndicates behind Pogos.
“The success of this operation underscores the importance of international cooperation in combating cross-border criminal activities. I commend both our law enforcement agencies and their Indonesian counterparts for their coordinated efforts,” Escudero said. —with reports from Marlon Ramos and Julie M. Aurelio