Former army finance chief Major General Carlos Garcia has already been suspended without pay for six months while under investigation by government prosecutors, who are also expected to file a separate case against him in a civilian court.

Garcia is alleged to have amassed unexplained wealth during his tenure, with his net worth believed to be in excess of a million dollars. His salary was only for around 600 dollars a month.

Government ombudsman Simeon Marcelo said Tuesday his office was readying its own charges against Garcia after US Customs officials sent documentation of the general's huge wealth.

On Tuesday, President Gloria Arroyo vowed that "corruptors at any level of the command will be brought to justice".

Her spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, also dismissed fears raised by political analysts of possible coup attempts against her in the face of the crackdown on officers.

The government was tipped off about the general's alleged corruption earlier this year when US authorities detained one of his sons at a San Francisco airport for failing to declare 100,000 dollars in cash he was carrying.

The armed forces said Garcia would be court martialled for "offenses covered by the Articles of War under the military justice system and will be separate and distinct from charges he is facing" in civilian court.

The charges could include conduct unbecoming of an officer and fraud committed against government.

Military deputy chief Vice Admiral Ariston de los Reyes has also instructed that Garcia be "restricted to quarters", even though he would be allowed full access to his lawyers.

Ombudsman Marcelo said the military had not coordinated with his office in preparing the court-martial charges, warning that the government should be careful in handling the charges against Garcia to avoid a case of "double-jeopardy".

He stated that under the law, the office of the Ombudsman had priority in filing charges against any official.

However he conceded that convicting officials for corruption was difficult due to a shortage of trained investigators and equipment.

Marcelo also cited tight laws protecting the secrecy of bank accounts and the court requirements for the freezing of bank accounts as complicating any investigation into hidden wealth.

He said Garcia had been one of the highest military officials to be accused of corruption, remarking "this is the test case".

Government personnel said there were rumours circulating of restiveness within the military over the possible investigation of officers for corruption.

Last year, Arroyo crushed a rebellion from 300 junior officers and their men with the help of senior military officials before winning a second term in May.