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Corruption task force turns over to SC complaints against court personnel – Sec. Guevarra
Corruption task force turns over to SC complaints against court personnel – Sec. Guevarra
Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra on Friday, April 9, said the Task Force Against Corruption (TFAC), led by the Department of Justice (DOJ), has also received graft complaints against court personnel.
But Guevarra said the complaints have been forwarded to the Supreme Court (SC) since TFAC is aware of the court’s Judicial Integrity Board (JIB) which has exclusive jurisdiction.
When asked if some of the complaints involved justices and judges, Guevarra said:
“The last time I checked, it was less than five (complaints) and involved low-ranking court personnel only.
“I suppose people generally know where to complain if the persons involved are judges or justices.”
Last year, the SC activated its JIB, which, together with the Corruption Prevention and Investigation Office (CPIO), was created in 2018 to run after the so-called misfits in the judiciary.
The JIB is headed by retired SC Associate Justice Romeo Callejo Sr. as its chairperson with retired SC Associate Justice Angelina Sandoval Gutierrez as vice chairperson.
The SC said “the JIB can receive administrative complaints or disciplinary actions against either the Presiding Justices and Associate Justices of the appellate courts and Judges of the lower courts, as well as act on complaints or referrals as provided for in Rule 140 of the Rules of Court….”
It also said the JIB “was given exclusive jurisdiction over administrative complaints against (1) Court officials with Salary Grades 30 and 31, excluding those that are not within the jurisdiction of the JIB, regardless of the gravity of the offense; (2) First and Second Level Court Judges, including Shari’a Disctrict and Circuit Court Judges, charged with serious charges under Rule 140 of the Rules of Court; and (3) Court officials and or employees, with Salary Grades 27 to 29, regardless of the gravity of the violation of the ‘Code of Conduct for Court Personnel’ and of the Civil Service Law and Rules.”
The CPIO, on the other hand, will conduct investigation on erring justices of the tertiary courts (Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan and Court of Tax Appeals), and judges and personnel of the lower courts, including the Shari’a courts; and the officials and employees of the Office of the Jurisconsult, Court Administrator, Deputy Court Administrator, Assistant Court Administrators and their personnel.
Last Thursday, April 8, the TFAC said it has filed with the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) criminal charges against an incumbent member of Congress, personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways, and officials of a local government unit.
“Two complaints filed with the TFAC have already been found to be sufficient in form and substance, and were endorsed to the Office of the Ombudsman,” DOJ Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay Villar said.
Villar said one of the cases filed before the OMB involves “a Representative in Congress and the DPWH on the favoring of certain contractors.”
The other case, she said, involves “irregularities in the purchase of land by a municipality.”
She did not name those against whom charges were filed.
“The cases have just been referred to the Ombudsman and we have not received any update whether they have commenced the investigation so I won’t be able to give those details yet,” she explained.
Villar said the TFAC has received a total of 274 complaints. But since many of the complaints have the same subjects as those received by the task force, “the accurate number of complaints with the TFAC is 180,” she said.
“Some (of the complaints) are being evaluated by the Complaints Evaluation Committee (CEC). Those which have already been evaluated by the CEC have been referred to the Assistant Secretaries, to the Undersecretaries or to the Secretary for review or further action,” she said.
A total of 69 complaints “have been referred to other TFAC members and appropriate agencies for comment/action,” she also said.
The TFAC was formed by President Duterte on Oct. 27, 2020. The President directed Justice Secretary Guevarra to have the DOJ lead a task force to investigate corruption in government until the end of his term in June 2022.
Aside from the DOJ, the task force is composed of representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Office of the Special Assistant to the President (OSAP), the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the National Prosecution Service (NPS), the DOJ’s Office of Cybercrime (OOC), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).