FORMER Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice yesterday furnished the Commission on Elections (Comelec) what he labeled as the “Bahamas files” containing documents supposedly bearing the complete details of the foreign bank accounts of a poll official with deposits purportedly totaling $15 million from South Korea.
Speaking to reporters outside the Comelec in Intramuros, Manila, Erice said the Bahamas files purportedly contain bank account details that were sent to him by an anonymous sender.
“I received these Bahamas files that contain details of a Comelec official receiving millions of dollars from South Korea, and allegedly from Miru (Systems). It has 14 foreign accounts of a Comelec official,” said Erice.
“The documents contain the transaction records with complete details, such as who deposited, which banks received the deposits, etc.,” he added.
He said he forwarded the documents to Comelec chairman George Garcia being the head of the institution involved in the controversy.
“I gave him a copy. It’s already up to him (Garcia) how to handle these documents,” said Erice.
The ex-congressman, however, said he will also share copies of the files to senators and members of the House of Representatives, as well as Malacañang.
Asked to whom the documents came from, he said it was from an anonymous package sender from the Bahamas.
“It is from the Bahamas. It has no name of the sender,” he said.
Erice said he intends to use the same documents in pursuing graft and corrupt charges against officials of the Comelec and its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) but admitted that its contents must “be verified first.”
“I will also file graft charges against the Comelec officials and Bids and Awards Committee before the Ombudsman,” he said.
The allegations of Erice came days after SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta claimed that at least P120 million have been deposited to 49 offshore bank accounts from South Korean banks with all “indications leading to a Comelec official” without giving names.
Erice said he is uncertain if the Bahamas files are connected to the claims made by Marcoleta.
“I don’t know if these (bank accounts) are among them. But all these accounts were opened in 2023,” said Erice.
Sought for comment, Garcia said the supposed Bahamas files from Erice part of the elaborate “demolition job” against the poll body.
He said the same is contained in the “white paper” he got a hold of, alongside those alleged by Marcoleta.
“That’s the same information that I got. We got a copy of the white paper. More or less, it has the same content. They removed some, then added seven local banks,” said Garcia in a separate interview.
“It won’t stop. They (bank accounts) will just keep on piling up as they are on this fishing expedition,” he added.
Garcia reiterated his denial that he owns the offshore accounts, including accounts in local banks, one of which is a Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) account.
In a certification from Landbank – Intramuros Branch released by the Comelec, the government-owned bank affirmed that one of the bank accounts allegedly under Garcia’s name doesn’t exist.
“This is to certify that Personal Savings Account #7740011026173 allegedly opened on March 2022 under the name George Erwin Mojica Garcia is non-existent with Land Bank of the Philippines – Intramuros Branch considering LBP Account Number has 10-digit numbers including the branch code,” said LBP – Intramuros branch head Renato Aquino.
Habol po Metrobank…
In a separate certification, the Metrobank – Alfaro branch also said an account allegedly under the name of Garcia doesn’t exist.
According to its branch head Estrella Goureno, the certification is being issued upon the request of the poll chief himself.
“This is to certify that Mr. George Erwin Mojica Garcia with account number 1140018329104 is not a depositor of Metrobank-Alfaro branch. Account number does not exist,” said Goureno.
The poll chief said he is prepared to issue another waiver and supplemental Affidavits of Denial.
“We will again ask the National Bureau of Investigation and the Anti-Money Laundering Council to hasten their investigation. Are these real accounts? Are they mine? Were they opened by myself?” said Garcia.
Garcia also said he is now considering filing charges of falsification charges against Erice.
“This is clearly falsification. We’re no longer considering libel cases. We are thinking of falsification of a public or even a private document. It has a longer penal provision,” he said.
“More importantly, it has a provision that says whoever holds the falsified document is presumed by law as the author of the falsified document. The law has a presumption. It is necessary to prove that those aren’t falsified documents,” Garcia added.
Marcoleta said Garcia was just bluffing when he vowed to execute a waiver to allow the NBI to look into his bank accounts because Philippine agencies are powerless in foreign jurisdictions.
Marcoleta, who earlier said a Comelec official’s offshore accounts received deposits of at least P120 million from Korean banks between June 2023 and March 2024, said he has been anticipating Garcia’s next moves which are meant “to appear innocent.”
“According to Republic Act (RA) 1405, or the Bank Secrecy Act, a valid waiver only applies to banks operating in the Philippines. In the case of offshore bank accounts, a court order is required to compel a foreign jurisdiction to look into suspicious transactions,” Marcoleta said in a statement.
He said any inquiry or investigation into the accounts in foreign banks that are beyond Philippine jurisdiction or any transaction made in regard to such accounts “must require the involvement of their foreign governments, and shall be subject to the respective bank secrecy laws of such foreign jurisdictions.” — With Wendell Vigilia
