U.S. denies involvement in General Garcia scandal

The United States denied that it dipped its hands in the infamous plea bargaining agreement entered into by government prosecutors and suspected plunderer former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

Saying they were unaware of the plea bargain deal, the US maintained that its cooperation with Philippine authorities focused only on the bulk cash smuggling and conspiracy charges faced by Garcia’s two sons.

"As part of the routine communication related to the extraditions, Philippine authorities informed the US of the Garcia plea agreement. The US had no role in its negotiation and was not consulted on its terms," the US embassy said in a statement over the weekend.

As proof of mutual cooperation, the US said it received a request from the Office of the Ombudsman under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) regarding Garcia’s P303-million plunder suit.

"In response, a US Government investigator provided testimony to the Sandiganbayan and gathered evidence regarding the seizure of US$100,000 from Garcia’s sons when they entered the US at San Francisco in December 2003," the embassy said.

Garcia’s sons Juan Paulo and Ian Carl pled guilty last year after attempting to smuggle US$100,000 into the United States eight years ago.

By Virgil Lopez