EDITORIAL - The long arm of the law

The two sons of former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who is on trial for plunder and has just been convicted of perjury, were arrested Wednesday in the United States. Brothers Juan Paulo and Ian Carl were arrested in Michigan and Las Vegas, respectively, by US authorities.

The brothers, together with a third sibling, Timothy Mark, and their mother Clarita are wanted in the Philippines for plunder on charges that they amassed P303.27 million in ill-gotten wealth.

Juan Paulo and Ian Carl were arrested by US authorities not for the plunder charge, but for smuggling $100,000 through the San Francisco airport in December 2003. When the brothers were questioned by US Customs authorities for their failure to declare the dollars, the mother came to her sons’ rescue. Clarita Garcia executed a written statement wherein she famously declared that the money came from her husband’s earnings as comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. She also indicated that there was more where the money came from.

Clarita and her three sons have been missing since her husband, the highest ranking military officer to be prosecuted for large-scale corruption, was arrested, held without bail and court-martialed. But there have long been unconfirmed reports that Clarita and her children had returned to the United States, having obtained US citizenship together with the disgraced general. Now the law has caught up with two of the sons. They may have to be prosecuted for violating US laws before they can be turned over to the Philippines, but the message of their arrest should serve as sufficient warning for others who plan to seek refuge in the United States.

There are other fugitives from Philippine justice whose arrest in other countries should be pushed by Manila. The pursuit may be harder if the fugitives have not broken any law in their adopted countries, but there are new international agreements that can facilitate the extradition of such fugitives. These new agreements tell crooks that they can run but they can’t hide.