Carlos Garcia—FILE PHOTO
Former military comptroller, retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who was convicted of direct bribery and money laundering, was released from jail on Friday after serving his maximum sentence, according to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).
In a statement on Friday, BuCor chief Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla approved the release of Garcia whose sentence has been fully served upon computation, including the 3,288 days of good conduct time allowance (GCTA) credits.
Based on BuCor records, Garcia was sentenced to a definite prison term of 18 years and four months, but the time he served in prison, including the GCTA credits he acquired, had already exceeded his maximum sentence.
Garcia was committed to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) on Sept. 16, 2011, but his actual detention started in June 2005. He had actually served 17 years five months and eight days in prison.
“There is no more legal grounds for Garcia to be further detained at the NBP after serving his maximum sentence,” Catapang said.
In a decision promulgated on July 5, 2022, the Sandiganbayan Second Division convicted Garcia and sentenced him to four up to eight years in prison for direct bribery, and another four to six years in jail for money laundering.
He was also sentenced for a minimum of one year and eight months to maximum of two years and four months for perjury by the antigraft court and a maximum of two years for violation of 96th and 97th Article of War by the general court-martial of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
He was also ordered to pay fines of P407 million.
The charges against Garcia stemmed from the wealth he accumulated from 1993 until his retirement in 2004 when he served as deputy chief of staff for comptrollership.