SC halts Garcia plea bargain proceedings

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday halted the Sandiganbayan from further acting on the the plea bargain agreement between former military comptroller Carlos Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Supreme Court Third Division issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) preventing the Sandiganbayan from proceeding with the criminal cases of direct bribery and facilitating money laundering against Garcia.

The high court also stopped the Sandiganbayan from issuing any judgment based on the controversial plea bargain and from implementing its resolution granting Garcia's request for bail.

“In order not to render the instant petition moot and academic, ISSUE A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER effective immediately enjoining the respondent Sandiganbayan from continuing with proceedings... and promulgating judgment based on the assailed plea bargaining agreement, and enjoining respondent Sandiganbayan from implementing the December 16, 2010 resolution granting approval of respondent Major Gen. Carlos F. Garcia’s request for bail," the SC Public Information Office said on its Twitter account.

The TRO was issued following a petition filed by the Office of the Solicitor General assailing an earlier Sandiganbayan ruling that dismisses the former's appeal to intervene on Garcia's case.

In April 2005, Garcia was charged with plunder for allegedly amassing ill-gotten wealth while he was comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The plea bargain deal allowed Garcia to plead guilty to the lesser crimes of direct bribery and facilitating money laundering in December 2010.

It also allowed Garcia to post a P60,000 bail and return P135.4-million to the government, or half of the money he allegedly stole from publi coffers.TRO on Wednesday stemmed from a petition by the Office of the Solicitor General on a Sandiganbayan ruling, which disallows the agency to intervene in the case.