PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino ordered his legal team to exhaust all legal remedies to nullify the Sandiganbayan’s approval of the plea bargain deal of former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

Aquino met with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz and Presidential Legal Counsel Ed de Mesa on Thursday not only to push for a reconsideration of the Sandiganbayan resolution approving the deal but also to pursue other cases against Garcia not covered by the plunder case.

“Kung pwede mahanapan ng other acts of transaction na ma-file-lan siya uli, preferably another case of plunder, we have to do it. Yan ang instruction ng President,” De Lima said.

She said that the President wanted his legal team to hold those responsible for the plea bargain deal accountable.

Garcia pleaded guilty to the lesser offenses of direct bribery and facilitating money laundering and transferred P135.433 million worth of assets to the government.

“The President wants to know exactly who can be held accountable. Pinapa-research yan.  There may be eight  or nine  officials of the (Office of the) Ombudsman who were responsible for the anomaly,” De Lima said.

Aquino also ordered a follow-up on the status of the cases against Garcia’s wife, Clarita, and his sons in the United States.