Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they will not hesitate to file a case if their ongoing investigation confirms the allegations made in the US indictment.
"The case in America, money laundering, means that US laws were violated... But what about our laws?" Garcia said in Filipino during an interview with "Storycon" on One News yesterday.
"They mentioned tax fraud, alleged rigging in bidding and jacking of prices of the machines procured by Comelec," he added. "We need to investigate it, otherwise the current Comelec may be held accountable." The indictment in the US, Garcia said, already included relevant information that can serve as evidence of possible violations of Philippine laws.
"That's why we created an 11-man panel to investigate the documents mentioned in the indictment... We are verifying if (the allegations) are true or just lies,” he added. The Comelec chief did not provide a timeline on the ongoing investigation of the panel.
Last week, the US Department of Justice announced the indictment of former Comelec chairman Andres Bautista and three former and current executives of elections technology provider Smartmatic.
Charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and one count of substantive violation of the law were Smartmatic founder and president Roger Piñate and former Smartmatic vice president for hardware development Jorge Miguel Vasquez.
Bautista, Piñate, Vasquez and Elie Moreno – former vice president of the Smartmatic’s global services and general manager of Smartmatic Philippines – were also each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and three counts of international laundering of monetary instruments.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 16, 2024 من The Philippine Star.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 16, 2024 من The Philippine Star.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Sara moves to terminate fund misuse probe
Vice President Sara Duterte appeared at yesterday’s hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability, but refused to take her oath and requested the committee to terminate the hearing on the past expenditures of her office.
Marcos: Cough, cold won't slow me down
President Marcos has a cough and cold, but assured the public that his situation would not slow him down.
Monsoon, Ferdie, Gener leave 20 dead, 14 missing
Twenty people were killed while 14 others remain missing due to the combined effects of the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Ferdie and Gener, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said yesterday.
Former PS-DBM exec in Pharmally mess nabbed
NO SP TREAT Un the re person Pre Sara D refu take he duri hea the com ΟΙ gover and accoun The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is looking at filing a resolution with the United Nations General Assembly or UNGA to address the escalating tension in the West Philippine Sea due to China's continuous aggression.
Qualified trafficking raps filed vs Alice Guo
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed on Tuesday before a Pasig Regional Trial Court (RTC) a qualified human trafficking case against dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo over her alleged involvement in the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub raided in her municipality.
PNP: Harry Roque still in Phl
Harry Roque is still in the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday, as the manhunt for the former presidential spokesman intensified following an arrest order issued by the quad committee of the House of Representatives.
Comelec expects last-minute surge in voter registration
As the end of the voters’ registration nears on Sept. 30, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) sees a surge in the number of aspiring voters filing their applications.
Marbil: 24 ex-PNP chiefs probed over Guo ties
An investigation is underway on 24 former chiefs of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to find out who may have aided dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo escape.
Outstanding public servants cited
President Marcos yesterday awarded outstanding public servants.
Sara wishes Willie Ong 'speedy, complete' recovery
Setting aside past political differences, Vice President Sara Duterte has wished health advocate and cardiologist Willie Ong \"a speedy and complete recovery.
