The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted a 57-year-old Chinese national wanted in her home country for alleged misappropriation of funds as she attempted to transit through the Philippines from Singapore to the United States.

The passenger, identified as Hao Bin, was flagged at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on 1 December.

BI deputy spokesperson Melvin Mabulac said Hao’s case is a “high-profile case” as she is the subject of a 2024 Interpol red notice issued in connection with a major embezzlement case in China.

“I was in the office when our APIS (Advanced Passenger Information System) was triggered... we coordinated with Interpol and saw that this was a high-profile case,” Mabulac said.

“The Chinese authorities were immediately alerted, so even before she could move further, we were able to intercept her here at NAIA Terminal 1,” he added.

The case, filed against Hao by the Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Zone Branch of the Public Security Bureau in 2023, alleges that Hao and an accomplice used their positions between 2019 and 2022 to embezzle more than 977.85 million Chinese Yuan, equivalent to approximately P8.1 billion.

The BI Interpol coordinated with Chinese authorities, who arranged for Hao’s immediate return to China to face charges.