US Embassy: US not consulted on Garcia plea bargain agreement

The United States said it was not consulted about the plea bargain agreement that allowed former military comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia to walk free in December despite a P300-million plunder case against him. In a statement issued over the weekend, the US Embassy said the Philippine government did not inform the US government about the plea bargain agreement. "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. However, the embassy said the Philippine and US governments still have a strong record of cooperation on law enforcement cases, including that of Garcia and members of his family. The embassy said the US Department of Justice is working with the US Marshals Service in providing a tracking system to help countries trace and account for the assets that have been forfeited. The embassy noted that in 2007, it received a request from the Philippines Office of the Ombudsman under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) regarding the Garcia investigation. "In response, a US Government investigator provided testimony to the Sandiganbayan and gathered evidence regarding the seizure of $100,000 from Garcia’s sons when they entered the US at San Francisco in December 2003," the embassy said. "US criminal charges were subsequently filed against the Garcia sons for attempting to smuggle $100,000 into the United States. It is a matter of public record that the sons pled guilty in 2010 and were sentenced to time already served, two years’ probation and forfeiture of $100,000," the embassy added. "In December the Philippine Department of Justice filed an MLAT request asking for return of the $100,000, and that process is ongoing," said the embassy. At the request of the Philippine government, petitions were also filed in US district courts for the extradition of Mrs. Garcia and three Garcia sons from the United States to the Philippines. "The four family members were arrested for the extradition proceedings that are now pending," the embassy said. – VVP, GMANews.TV