SAGIP party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta said on Thursday, August 1, 2024, that the two offshore bank accounts in Cayman Islands that allegedly received funds from South Korean banks were owned by Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia.
Marcoleta earlier questioned the Comelec’s P18 billion deal with South Korean company, Miru Systems, the agency’s chosen provider of voting machines for the upcoming 2025 midterm, after receiving information that 49 offshore accounts that are linked to a Comelec official received funds amounting to around P1 billion from South Korean banks during the bidding process.
Garcia then said that he was the one being alluded as he vehemently denied the claims.
He also tapped the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to investigate the matter.
In a press conference Thursday, Marcoleta presented copies of bank transfer receipts identifying “George Erwin Mojica Garcia” as the owner of the said accounts.
“Our volunteer in New York deposited $100 to an account ending 8562. Later, I will show the entire bank account, but it shows the name of George Erwin Mojica Garcia,” the congressman said.
“That receipt came from a platform of a US-based institution, a reputable bank called JP Morgan Chase & Company. That’s a consumer and banking subsidiary of a reputable world-renowned banking institution based in America. That’s why the transaction records from Chase for Business can be considered authentic and untampered,” he added.
Marcoleta said 22 offshore accounts that received deposits from South Korean banks suddenly closed within the last two months.
He expressed concern, as he urged Garcia to step down from post.
“He should explain this. We can’t sacrifice our elections,” said Marcoleta.
Marcoleta said he will file a resolution seeking the conduct of a House probe on the alleged financial irregularities.
In an interview with reporters, Garcia said he welcomes the conduct of such an investigation, which will give him the proper venue to answer the said concerns.
Garcia earlier presented certifications from several local bank accounts that the bank accounts being linked in the bribery accusations were non-existent.
He said he will not resign as he maintained his innocence from the allegations.
“Kung ganon po pala ang polisiya at panuntunan sa pamahalaan, lahat na lang aakusahan, lahat na lang magre-resign…Parang napakahirap naman na magreresign ka dahil sa tsismis, dahil sa fake news, at misinformation at disinformation,” Garcia said.
(If that is the policy and guidelines of the government, then everyone will be accused, everyone will just resign… It seems very difficult to resign because of gossip, fake news, misinformation, and disinformation.)
“Napatunayan ko na fake ang mga accounts, galing na po mismo sa mga local banks,” he added.
(I have proven that the accounts are fake, coming directly from the local banks themselves.) (TPM/Sunstar Philippines)
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Publish date : 2024-07-31 22:15:00
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