Philippines says ex-mayor accused of Chinese crime links has fled the country

MANILA (Reuters) - A former mayor of a Philippine town being investigated for her alleged ties to Chinese criminal syndicates has fled the country, prompting the Philippine president's office to order the cancellation of her passport on Monday.

Alice Guo, also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, arrived in Malaysia from Indonesia on July 18, then arrived in Singapore on July 21, and then travelled to Batam, Indonesia, via a ferry from Singapore on Aug. 18, a spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) said, basing the information on immigration records in those countries.

"In the interest of justice," the Office of the Philippine President in an Aug. 20 memo addressed to the justice and foreign ministers, directed "that appropriate action be taken for the cancellation" of Guo's passport.

It's unclear what date she left the Philippines.

But Guo's lawyer Stephen David insisted she remains in the Philippines. She has denied the allegations against her.

"Thus, without further evidence to prove that she has indeed left the country, our reliance in good faith on the assurances by our client remains," David said in a statement, without providing details.

Indonesia's Immigration agency declined to confirm the travel information, saying that data is private, while its foreign ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment on whether it had been contacted by Philippine authorities about the case.

Guo is the subject of a Senate arrest warrant for refusing to appear at hearings investigating her alleged ties with Chinese criminal syndicates - a case that has captivated the nation amid tensions between Manila and Beijing.

The investigation began in May after authorities raided a casino in Guo's sleepy farming town of Bamban in March, uncovering what the authorities said were scams being perpetrated from a facility built on land partially owned by the former mayor.

Guo, who was recently removed from office by the Ombudsman for grave misconduct, has denied links to criminals and said she is a natural-born Philippine citizen. She has written to the Senate that she was the subject of "malicious accusations".

Her case comes at a time of growing Philippine suspicion about China's activities following an increasingly tense dispute over reefs and shoals in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, where both nations have claims.

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Kate Lamb in Indonesia; Editing by Sharon Singleton)