Ex-AFP comptroller Garcia attends House probe on plea bargain deal

Former military comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia attended on Tuesday morning the House probe on the controversial plea bargain deal he entered into with the Office of the Office of the Ombudsman last year, amid claims that he has gone into hiding.

Garcia is set to face the House committee on justice, led by Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, during an inquiry into the plea bargaining agreement aimed at finding out the government’s policy on such deal, and to hold officials liable if there are any irregularities to the agreement.

Garcia was seen accompanied by his lawyer, Constantino de Jesus.

Also present during the House probe are Armed Forces officials Brig. Generals. Raul Reyes, Honorato delos Reyes and Gilberto Roa; Assistant Solicitor General Amparo Tang; former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo; and former Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-ignacio.

Garcia's attendance came amid earlier pronouncements by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that the former Army general has already gone into hiding to evade congressional inquiries on the deal.

The House probe was set after Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez, in a privilege speech last week, urged the lower chamber to look into circumstances surrounding the plea bargaining agreement.

The Senate is also set to conduct its own investigation into the controversial plea bargain agreement on Thursday.


Ombudsman snubs inquiry

Officials of the Office of the Ombudsman, however, did not attend the inquiry, saying that their office is a "constitutional and independent office."

In a letter sent to the House committee on justice, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and her deputies "refused" to attend the inquiry, saying it "may not be in aid of legislation and may not be in the legitimate province of the legislature."

Deputy Speaker and Quezon province Rep. Erin Tanada III called the Ombudsman’s refusal an "insult" to the House and a show of "arrogance" from Gutierrez and her deputies.

"It is not for the Ombudsman to determine if the procedures in the House are in aid of legislation," he said.

Due to this, the House panel decided to issue subpoenas to Gutierrez and six other officials from her office to compel them to attend the next hearing.

Gutierrez is currently facing impeachment complaints before the House committee on justice— the same panel conducting the inquiry on the plea bargaining agreement.


Plea bargain

Last year, special prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman entered into a plea bargain agreement with Garcia, who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of direct bribery and money laundering instead of the crime of plunder as part of the deal.

After admitting to these offenses, the ex-military comptroller was allowed to post bail and to temporarily walk out of jail in December last year.

The former military comptroller was also allowed to return only P135 million out of the P303 million he allegedly stole from government coffers.

The Office of the Solicitor-General (OSG) has asked the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court last week to allow it to intervene in the controversial deal and to nullify Garcia’s arraignment for direct bribery. (report from Andreo C. Calonzo and RSJ, GMANews.TV)