Indonesia Wants Haas in Return After Handing Over Fugitive Alice Guo to the Philippines

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian National Police is in talks with the Philippine government to extradite Gregor Johann Haas, an Australian wanted by Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN) for drug trafficking, in exchange for the return of fugitive ex-mayor Alice Guo.

This information was disclosed by head of the National Police's international relations division, Inspector General Krishna Murti, on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

"This is part of our ongoing discussions. We hope to finalize the exchange through a process that is currently underway," he stated at a press conference in Jakarta after the handing over of Guo.

Guo was handed over to the Philippine government, represented by Philippine Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Benjamin Abalos Jr., at the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police Building, on Thursday.

Indonesia and the Philippines signed an extradition treaty in 1976, which provides the legal framework for the extradition of individuals between the two countries, facilitating cooperation in law enforcement and prosecution.

The National Police arrested Guo, who had fled the Philippines amid a graft case, in Tangerang, Banten, on September 3, 2024.

This arrest has opened up greater opportunities for the National Police to negotiate the exchange of BNN's main fugitive, Gregor Johann Haas, who was apprehended in Cebu, Philippines, on May 15, 2024, and currently remains in custody there.

Murti indicated that the fugitive exchange talks between the two countries are progressing positively.

"The fact that the Philippine government sent a high-level delegation shows that the plan is moving forward as expected by both parties," he said.

He also clarified that there are no specific conditions for the Indonesian government to meet for the exchange. “The most important thing is that both parties have positive intentions,” he emphasized.

In early August 2024, Guo was dismissed from her position as mayor of Bamban, a city in the northern Philippines, following an investigation into her involvement in suspected graft and an illegal online gambling scheme known as Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator.

Haas, an Australian citizen residing in Gili Trawangan, North Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, is sought in connection with a narcotics trafficking case dating back to December 5, 2023.

As he was believed to be abroad at the time, the BNN collaborated with the National Police’s Divhubinter to issue an Interpol Red Notice.

ANTARA

Editor's Choice: Philippines Welcomes Arrest of Former Mayor Alice Guo in Indonesia

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News