Government to help US probe Mikey Arroyo

MALACANANG said the Philippine government is "bound" to assist the United States government in its investigation on Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Representative Juan Miguel Arroyo and wife, Ma. Angela, for alleged money laundering.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said any assistance the government will extend to the US will be well within the parameters of the Philippines-US Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (PHL-US MLAT).

"The details are confidential, such as the assistance and the nature of the case. But let me stress that the Philippine government is bound to render assistance under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty," Valte said.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Tuesday that the US government sought assistance on the case of Arroyo from the DOJ, being the central authority under the Philippine-US MLAT.

De Lima refused to disclose details of the investigation, citing its confidentiality.

She said aside from Arroyo and his wife, two other individuals were implicated in the case, but she declined to identify them.

In 2009, it was reported that Arroyo failed to declare a P63-million property in California, which he bought and transferred under his wife's name in 2006.

Mikey said the money he used to buy the property came from cash gifts he got from their wedding and from campaign contributions.

The Arroyo couple is also separately facing tax evasion charges filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Mikey is accused of failing to file income tax returns for 2008 and 2009, and filing inaccurate information in his 2005 ITR while his wife Angela allegedly failed to file her ITRs from 2003 to 2009. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)