Philippines and Indonesia in talks over possible prisoner swap involving fugitive former Filipino mayor Alice Guo

In a statement on Wednesday, Guo’s lawyer Stephen David said his legal team was relieved about Guo’s safe apprehension.

“This is a welcome development for us so that we can answer the allegations and issues thrown against her. As her counsel, we are deeply concerned about her health, safety and security,” said Mr David as reported by Filipino news outlets.

“She may not know or realise it by now, but this recent event can be a good start for all her cases,” he added.

The Senate launched an investigation in May after a casino raid in Bamban in March uncovered what law enforcement officials said were scams run from a facility built on land Guo partly owned.

Philippine law enforcement agencies, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council, last month jointly filed multiple counts of money laundering against Guo and 35 others to the justice department.

They accused Guo and her co-conspirators of having laundered criminal proceeds amounting to more than 100 million pesos (US$1.8 million).

Guo, who says she is a natural-born Philippine citizen, has denied the accusations, calling them “malicious”.

Guo ran for office as a Philippine citizen but her fingerprints were later found to match those of a Chinese national, Guo Hua Ping.

Removed from office as mayor of Bamban town in the province of Tarlac, Guo fled the country in July, travelling on her Philippine passport to neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore, before going to Indonesia in August, the anti-crime agency says.

Guo was arrested along with a Chinese monk and was helped by a former Chinese police officer during her escape from the Philippines, Mr Supratman said on Wednesday, but gave no details.

After her return, Guo, who cut her hair short in an attempt at disguise, will be handed to law enforcement and then the Senate, said Mr Jaime Santiago, director of the National Bureau of Investigation.