ShareThisQUEZON CITY – The Sandiganbayan has approved the plea bargain agreement between the Office of the Ombudsman and former Armed Forces comptroller Lt. Gen. Carlos Garcia and his wife Clarita over their plunder case.
Malacanang immediately said it may appeal the ruling by the second division of the anti-graft court. The case may also be raised eventually to the Court of Appeals, said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
In making the ruling, the court said Garcia complied with all the conditions required in the plea bargain arrangement.
It also denied the motion for intervention filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).
Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval, who is also chairman of the second Division, did not entertain motions for his inhibition because of lack of merit.
Under the agreement, Garcia – who faces plunder charges – will return P135 million to the government and enter a guilty plea to the lesser offense of direct bribery.
The controversy spawned a full-blown investigation in Congress, which pushed the Office of the Ombudsman back into the limelight.
Former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez was eventually impeached by the House of Representatives. She resigned last May 6 even before the Senate trial could start.