Court, prosecutors plan to auction Gen. Garcia’s SUV

Jan	10
2009

Court, prosecutors plan to auction Gen. Garcia’s SUV

abs-cbnnews.com | 04/14/2008 10:55 PM

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Government prosecutors and the Sandiganbayan's sheriff are planning to auction off a sports utility vehicle which is allegedly part of the ill-gotten wealth of retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia and his family due to its high cost of maintenance.

Sandiganbayan Sheriff Edgardo Urieta said he prefers to have the car auctioned to free them from further responsibility over it and allow officials of the Office of the Special Prosecutor to use its spot in the basement parking lot. The OSP has been shouldering the SUV's maintenance since it was seized in 2004.

“Anyway the proceeds will likely be placed in escrow so no one will lose out,” Urieta said.

Special Prosecutor Dennis Villaignacio, for his part, agreed that selling the car would be a good move.

“I don’t see any reason why the defendants should object. Selling the car now would preserve its present market value and once the proceeds are placed in escrow, the amount can earn interests. Under the present arrangement, the car steadily depreciates in value,” Villaignacio said.

He said his office has been paying for the fuel cost of the black Honda CR-V since it was confiscated from a garage in Dumangas, Iloilo. The vehicle has been parked at the basement of the Sandiganbayan building.

“We cannot allow the car to deteriorate so the engine needs to be turned on regularly...gas money is taken from the OSP. Then there’s the cost of oil change, battery check and engine tune-up. It has been almost four years now so we have already spent quite a lot,” Villaignacio said.

Reports said court officers discovered the car without its license plates but conduction stickers on the window established the identity of its owner.

Garcia was charged with four counts of perjury. The former comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been cleared on two of those cases, reports added.

Aside from the perjury charges, Garcia and his wife Clarity and their children Ian Carl, Timothy Mark and John Paul are also facing one count of plunder before the Second Division of the Sandiganbayan and two forfeiture cases before the Fourth Division.

as of 04/14/2008 10:55 PM