Missing Philippine mayor allegedly tied to convicts in Singapore’s S$3B money laundering case

Alice Leal Guo (郭华萍), the suspended mayor of Bamban, a small town in the Philippines, is under scrutiny for her alleged involvement in illegal activities.

Guo, who reportedly owns 16 vehicles and a helicopter, has been linked to Fujian-born individuals Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, both convicted in Singapore’s S$3 billion money laundering case.

The investigation into Guo began when the Philippine Senate looked into her potential connections with illegal scam operations.

Guo has also been accused of being a “Chinese spy.”

On 13 July, the Senate ordered her arrest along with some family members after she failed to appear twice for hearings related to the scam centres.

However, she has since gone missing.

Local politician Senator Sherwin Gatchalian earlier expressed concern that Guo might have left the country using her Chinese passport.

Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, has denied allegations that the suspended mayor has left the Philippines.

Local media reported that authorities were unable to execute the arrest warrant in mid-July because Guo was not found at any of her known addresses.

Involvement in controversial business ventures

In 2019, Ms Guo allegedly co-founded Baofu Land Development with Chinese nationals Zhang Ruijin and Lin Baoying, Philippine national Rachel Joan Malonzo Carreon, and Cypriot national Huang Zhiyang.

Notably, both Zhang and Lin were among the ten individuals convicted in Singapore’s S$3 billion money laundering case.

According to media reports, Baofu Land Development constructed a compound in Bamban that allegedly housed illegal scam operations and sits behind the Bamban Municipal Hall.

Ms Guo’s connections to the couple were uncovered in Securities and Exchange Commission documents obtained by Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is leading the investigation.

Zhang, 45, who also holds a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport, was sentenced to 15 months in jail in Singapore on April 30 after pleading guilty to money laundering and forgery charges.

He was deported from Singapore to Cambodia on June 15, but Cambodian authorities expelled him on July 16.

His lover and fellow Chinese national Lin, 44, who also holds a passport from Dominica, was sentenced to 15 months in jail on May 30 and ordered to forfeit about S$154 million, or 90% of her seized assets. She was deported to Cambodia on June 15.

According to Rappler reports from the Senate hearing, the 38-year-old Guo denied any knowledge of her business partners’ criminal activities.

She stated that she divested from the company in 2022 before running for mayor and claimed to have never spoken to Zhang or Lin, only communicating with Huang, who is now a fugitive wanted by the Philippines’ Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

Media reports indicate that the 10-hectare compound developed by Baofu Land Development includes 36 structures such as barracks, villas, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and a secret tunnel connecting the villas.

Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated, located within the compound, allegedly operated fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scams under the guise of a legitimate Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo).

The compound was raided by authorities in February 2023.

The company changed its name to Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated three months after the raid and continued its operations until it was raided again in March 2024.

During this raid, about 875 people were arrested, and authorities found love scam scripts and mobile phones allegedly used for scam operations.

There were also reports of individuals being illegally detained within the compound.

During the Senate hearing, Ms Guo struggled to answer questions about her family history and upbringing.

She described herself as the “love child” of a Chinese man and a Filipino woman who had worked as his housemaid. Growing up in isolation on her family’s pig farm, she felt ashamed of being an illegitimate child.

Her birth certificate was issued when she was 17 years old, and she registered to vote in Bamban only in 2021, one year before running for mayor.

Senators questioned Ms Guo’s claim of being a Philippine national.

On May 16, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. supported the Senate’s investigation and expressed doubts about Ms. Guo’s identity.

“I know all the politicians in Tarlac, and no one knows her. We’re wondering where she came from,” he said.

Showcasing luxurious lifestyle

Documents obtained by Senator Hontiveros revealed that Ms Guo owned a helicopter and 16 vehicles, showcasing her luxurious lifestyle.

Photos posted on social media showed that she had entered a McLaren 620R in a car show contest.

In an interview with Philippine TV channel ABS-CBN, Ms Guo admitted to owning the helicopter, stating she had planned to use it as an air taxi, but the business idea did not take off. She mentioned that she had since sold the helicopter.

Ms Guo claimed the vehicles were part of her car dealership business and did not belong to her personally. As for the McLaren, she said she had borrowed it from a friend for the car show.

Additionally, Ms Guo is reportedly fond of luxury goods, having been spotted with a Bulgari Serpenti Viper necklace worth 11.9 million pesos (approximately US$652,256), a Louis Vuitton silk shirt, and a Chanel bag.

Sen. Hontiveros criticized Ms Guo’s alleged criminal connections in a press release, writing: “Is this why she can afford her extravagant lifestyle? Could her purchases of helicopters and luxury cars come from criminals and fugitives?”

Ms Guo denied these allegations, stating: “I’m not connected with nor a protector or coddler of Pogos. I have no knowledge about their operations.”

On 20 May, local authorities stripped her of control over the Philippine National Police within her jurisdiction.