Comelec chair asks AMLC to investigate bribery allegations

MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on Wednesday to investigate the allegations that he was accepting bribe money from an unnamed Korean firm.

Garcia also asked the agency to probe allegations that he held several international bank accounts.

READ: Garcia to NBI: Probe bribery raps, ‘it’s a demolition job vs Comelec’

“These allegations claim that I have been accepting bribe money from a Korean firm and purportedly hold numerous bank accounts across various banks in Singapore, North America, China, and the Caribbean,” Garcia said in a letter dated July 10.

The official also said that he executed a sworn waiver of secrecy of bank deposits, attached with the letter, which authorized the AMLC and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate his bank accounts.

“These documents authorize the AMLC to open and investigate the bank accounts allegedly under my name and to inquire with your counterparts or equivalent agencies in the mentioned foreign countries to determine the existence or non-existence of such accounts,” Garcia added.

On Tuesday, Garcia requested the NBI in a letter dated July 8 to investigate the allegations.

Garcia maintained that the allegations were not true.

Also on Tuesday, Sagip Partylist Representative Rodante Marcoleta said that around P1 billion was allegedly transferred from South Korean banks to 49 offshore accounts associated with an unnamed Comelec official, but the information was still under verification.

READ: Garcia: Comelec may resort to manual should SC rule against Miru

However, Garcia denied the claims in an ambush interview, saying that he was the one being alluded to by Marcoleta.