Philippine justice secretary Crispin Remulla said Malaysian authorities refused to provide crucial information to assist in the probe, such as flight records and the details of the flight Guo took to escape from the Philippines.

“Malaysia is supposed to give us the information. They know what aircraft entered, and where she was going, but they refused to give it to us,” he said, according to the Daily Tribune.

Remulla said Malaysia’s refusal to cooperate was linked to the now-annulled US$14.92 billion arbitration award to the self-claimed heirs of the defunct Sulu sultanate.

He said Manila had exhausted all diplomatic efforts to get Malaysia to cooperate, but had “hit a strong wall”.

Guo, also known as Chinese national Guo Hua Ping, was wanted by the Philippine senate for refusing to attend a congressional probe on her alleged ties to Chinese criminal syndicates.

She fled the Philippines last July by travelling to Malaysia, Singapore, and then Indonesia using her Philippine passport.

Guo was eventually arrested in Indonesia before being repatriated to the Philippines. Multiple counts of money laundering involving 100 million pesos (US$1.8 million) have since been filed against her and 35 others.