Zhang Jie is one of the alleged associates of Alice Guo. He is a Singaporean national who purportedly helped in her escape from the Philippines in 2024.
Singaporean authorities have launched an investigation into former Philippine mayor Alice Guo. They accuse her of espionage and connections to illegal gaming operations, in coordination with Manila. Analysts say this development highlights the growing regional challenge of fighting transnational crime.
The Singapore Police told The Straits Times last week that they are working with Philippine authorities on the case due to the alleged involvement of Guo’s associates in the city-state.
According to the force, it would deal with the suspects firmly in accordance with their laws should it receive credible evidence of their alleged offenses, adding they do not tolerate anyone who may have committed crimes overseas and will take firm action against them if they have sufficient grounds.
Guo is the embattled ex-mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac province. She has faced accusations of being a Chinese spy, as well as having links to illegal gaming operations in the Philippines that local authorities say are involved in human trafficking and money laundering.
In July 2024, she fled the Philippines after facing questioning during a Senate investigation. Indonesian authorities later arrested her in Tangerang in August.
In the middle of the continued Senate hearings in July, she eluded Philippine authorities. She was reportedly traveling to Malaysia by boat first before flying to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur last July 21. Guo stayed here for a month, and then travelled to Batam in Indonesia by ferry on August 18.
