SINGAPORE — A former Philippines mayor who was accused of spying for China has been found guilty of human trafficking for her role in running a scam centre.

On Thursday, she and three others were sentenced to life in prison and a fine of 2m pesos ($33,832; £25,942).

The case of Alice Guo has gripped the Philippines for years, after authorities uncovered one of the country's biggest scam centres in her small town of Bamban. Some 800 Filipinos and foreigners were later rescued from the scam hub after a raid, with many of them saying they were forced to run "pig butchering" scams.

The 35-year-old, who was arrested last year after being on the run for weeks, has denied all allegations against her.

It is not yet clear if she might appeal.

There are still five ongoing cases against Guo, including one where she has been charged with money laundering.

The small-town mayor accused of trafficking and spying for China

In 2022, Guo was elected as the mayor of Bamban, north of the capital Manila. Residents of Bamban earlier told the BBC she was seen as a caring and empathetic leader.

But in 2024, the sleepy town was thrust into the national spotlight after authorities uncovered a sprawling scam centre there that was hiding under online casinos, known locally as Philippine Online Gaming Operations (Pogo).

Pogos cater to clients in the Chinese mainland, where gambling is illegal.

Guo initially denied all knowledge of the compound, but a senate investigation that followed questioned her inability to detect the eight hectare centre that was located near her office.

It later emerged that the compound - which contained 36 buildings - was built on land which Guo previously owned.

They also found discrepancies in her life story – she was not, as she had claimed, born in the Philippines, but had migrated from China with her family as a teenager. MPs later found that her fingerprints matched those of a Chinese national named Guo Hua Ping.

She was soon removed from office. And as more details around the case emerged, she disappeared in July 2024, prompting an international operation across four countries to bring her back.

In September of the same year, she was arrested in Indonesia and extradiated to the Philippines. Her Philippine passport was also cancelled.

Her case has played out as the Philippines and China continue to spar over reefs and outcrops in the South China Sea. While the case was making national headlines in the Philippines, China has remained silent regarding the allegations against her. — BBC