By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines has turned over $1.38 million as proceeds from the forfeited assets of a former military comptroller who pleaded guilty to direct bribery and facilitating money laundering.
Ambassador Philip Goldberg said in a statement Wednesday that he had presented Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales with a check for P61.8 million to the Republic of the Philippines - the second installment from the forfeited assets of General Carlos Garcia.
“Battling public corruption is a challenge that all countries face, including the United States,” Goldberg said, referring to the “ill-gotten” gains of Garcia. “Meeting that challenge is vitally important to ensure public confidence in the honesty and integrity of public servants."
The $1,384,940.28 turned over were the net proceeds from the sale of a condominium at the upscale Trump Tower in Manhattan and funds from the two Citibank accounts in New York, the Inquirer.net reported.
The case against Garcia had begun in Dec. 2003 when his two sons were arrested at San Francisco International Airport for not declaring $100,000 in cash they were carrying – an amount which the U.S. government returned in Jan. 2012.
The Philippines’ ombudsman office had charged Garcia, his wife and their three children with plunder over P303 million (more than $6.7 million) in illegally acquired wealth.
The charges were downgraded after Garcia pleaded guilty to direct bribery and facilitating money laundering charges, and promised to return P135 million of the P303 million.
A case to overturn the controversial plea bargain -- after which the head of the ombudsman’s prosecution arm responsible for the deal was dismissed – is currently pending before the Supreme Court, according to Rappler.
In 2005, a military court convicted Garcia of “conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman” and “conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline,” sentencing him to two years in prison and ordering his dishonorable dismissal.
Meanwhile, Morales said the assets being forfeited showed that people guilty of plunder and money laundering could not escape prosecution.
“There can be no safe haven for money launderers and plunderers,” Inquirer.net quoted her as saying. “This milestone in asset recovery sends the message across that raiders of public coffers can no longer hide their unexplained wealth; they cannot hide their dummy bank accounts, wherever located; and they cannot hide from the long arm of the law.”
