Garcia belies Marcoleta’s accusations anew

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairperson George Garcia on Thursday belied Sagip Partylist Rep. Rodante Marcoleta’s accusations after the latter linked him anew to an offshore bank account in the Cayman Islands.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Marcoleta said persons in New York were tapped to make bank transfers worth $100 to two offshore bank accounts believed owned by Garcia.

Marcoleta said the receipts from the Chase for Business bank indicated the offshore accounts were under the name of George Erwin Mojica Garcia.

Meanwhile, in an ambush interview, Garcia said the alleged New York bank account was supposedly a new account as he said “it was not in the original white paper.”

“How do we know? Four numbers that were in that account are missing and do not match any account number provided. That means this is a new account,” Garcia said in Filipino.

Garcia said he believed the $100 was not sent by a friend or supporter, but rather by a consulting firm.

“Actually, it’s a consulting firm and it’s a public relations firm that sent the money. They sent it from Chase Bank to New York Bank. Then the other one, from Chase Bank to the Cayman Islands,” Garcia noted.

“In the US, you cannot put a Philippine address if you’re an account holder there. The address must be abroad. Because one of the things they look for in America when you open an account is what is called a social security number,” he explained.

Garcia said he is willing to answer Marcoleta’s claims “face-to-face.”

“Hindi baleng mawala ako sa pwesto, wag lang masira ang pangalan ng Comelec (It doesn’t matter if I lose my post, just so the Comelec’s name is not tarnished),” he added.

Marcoleta earlier alleged that at least P1 billion was transferred from South Korean-based banks to 49 offshore accounts supposedly linked to Garcia.

The lawmaker further claimed that Garcia has numerous accounts in banks in Singapore, the US, China, and the Caribbean.

On 8 July, Garcia asked the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the allegations.

Garcia also asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council to probe the allegation that he accepted bribes from a South Korean firm through offshore banks.

Five local banks, including Land Bank of the Philippines, Metrobank and Union Bank, have confirmed that Garcia had no personal savings accounts with them.