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Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia has begun to subject himself to transparency processes to prove he is not part of a bribery scheme, one bank certification at a time.
On Monday, July 15, Garcia released to the media a document from the Landbank of the Philippines (Landbank) certifying that one of the supposed bank accounts he used in the alleged bribery scheme was “nonexistent.”
SAGIP Representative Rodante Marcoleta earlier insinuated that a Comelec official received bribe money to favor South Korean tech firm Miru Systems in the bidding process for the poll body’s procurement of new election machines.
Marcoleta did not name an official, but Garcia, who believed he was being alluded to, called the allegations baseless.
On Monday, Garcia wrote to Landbank’s Intramuros branch requesting a bank certificate or a confirmation of the existence or nonexistence of an account linked to an account number in the “Bahamas Files.”
ABS-CBN reported that former Caloocan representative Edgar Erice presented the Bahamas Files, which supposedly contain the list of 14 bank accounts amounting to $15 million (P877 million) belonging to a Comelec official and his wife.
“The undersigned is the subject of several anonymous letters circulated in the media and relayed by former and current government officials claiming that bribe money was allegedly transacted and received through a bank account under my name in your institution,” Garcia wrote, adding he needed the certification to “disclaim these fabrications.”
In the letter, Garcia waived his rights under the bank secrecy law to facilitate the verification process.
The same day the letter was sent, Landbank certified that the account did not exist. It didn’t even have the correct number of digits Landbank accounts are supposed to have.
One down, possibly dozens more certifications to go – as Marcoleta said a total of 49 offshore bank accounts worth $15.2 million in Singapore, China, Hong Kong, the Caribbean, and North America are traceable to a Comelec official.
Marcoleta alleged that at least $2.1 million or more than P120 million were deposits made from South Korean bank accounts between June 2023 and March 2024.
Garcia earlier said that he saw a demolition job coming.
The awarding of the contract to lone bidder Miru Systems was controversial, as its reputation was alleged to be tainted with accusations of faulty technology in countries where it deployed its equipment.
Miru will replace poll technology Smartmatic, which served as the tech provider of the Philippine elections from 2010 to 2022. – Rappler.com
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