DOJ faces blank wall on Garma’s status in the US

National

THE status of retired Police Col. Royina Garma in the United States (US) is still unknown, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that there’s no formal communication yet from the US as to the updates on Garma’s case after she was detained due to money laundering and human rights issues.

Garma hired lawyers to defend her in the United States, but the former general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has not posted bail.

Remulla said once they receive communication from the US, they will start the process of Garma’s return to the Philippines.

Remulla also believed that Garma applied for political asylum but he doubted it would be granted since Garma was already on the money-laundering list of the United States even before she arrived there.

Remulla said it was an “ill-advised move” on Garma’s part to travel to the US considering she was already on the hot list.

The Bureau of Immigration is also waiting for any advisory from the US about Garma’s case.

According to an Inquirer report, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said she had “no information on enforcement matters or anything related to the immigration status of particular individuals, which would fall under the Privacy Act.”

Garma together with her daughter was arrested by US border control personnel in San Francisco, California on November 7.

Remulla said US authorities are after Garma’s properties there. She is also detained because of human rights violations in connection with the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which imposes sanctions on human rights violations and corruption anywhere in the world.

Garma flew abroad after she revealed in a House hearing the “reward system” during the drug war campaign of her former boss, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte.(MyTVCebu)