SC denies lifting freeze order on Garcia assets

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has denied with finality the petition for reconsideration of former Armed Forces of the Philippines comptroller, retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, to lift the freeze order on his assets.

In a one-page resolution, the Court said Garcia had failed to raise new arguments that would warrant the reversal of its decision last Dec. 21 upholding the order of the Court of Appeals to freeze his assets.

Last Nov. 27, the SC junked Garcia’s petition “for being patently without merit and prosecuted mainly for delay.”

The high court maintained that probable cause exists to warrant the issuance of the freeze order based on the documents and evidence submitted by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) before the appellate court.

Garcia is facing plunder and perjury cases before the Sandiganbayan.

Forfeiture proceedings have also been initiated to recover alleged ill-gotten wealth of more than P56.5 million from Garcia, his wife Clarita, and their children Ian Carl, Juan Paulo, and Timothy Mark.

Garcia’s alleged ill-gotten wealth was exposed after the Department of Homeland Security informed the Office of the Ombudsman about the arrest of his sons in the US.

Garcia’s sons Ian Carl and Juan Paulo were reportedly caught by agents of the US Customs and Border Patrol with $100,000 in their possession, while attempting to enter the US through the San Francisco International Airport. – Mike Frialde