Sandiganbayan shouldn’t handle minor cases – Drilon

Ayee Macaraig

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The Senate President Drilon wants the regional trial courts to try, among other cases, those that involve P1 million or less

MAJOR CASES ONLY. Senate President Franklin Drilon wants the anti-graft court to handle only "significant cases" and leave minor cases to Regional Trial Courts. File Photo/AFP

MANILA, Philippines – To expedite the resolution of corruption cases, Senate President Franklin Drilon wants the Sandiganbayan to no longer handle “minor cases.”

Drilon will propose an amendment to the anti-graft court’s charter, transferring jurisdiction of minor cases to regional trial courts (RTCs) to decongest clogged dockets. 

“The most potent deterrent against the spread of corruption is the certainty of punishment. We must therefore strengthen current procedures and mechanisms to ensure the swift prosecution and resolution of anti-graft cases,” Drilon said in a statement on Wednesday, February 12. 

Under Drilon’s proposal, RTCs will handle minor cases or:

  • those where the information does not allege any damage or bribe
  • alleges damages or bribes that are either “unquantifiable or not quantified”
  • alleges “quantified damages or bribes amounting to P1 million or less.”

The Sandiganbayan law mandates the court to handle all graft cases involving public officials occupying Salary Grade 27 and above regardless of the “nature and gravity” of the offense.

The Senate President wants the Sandiganbayan to instead focus on “the most significant graft cases.”

He said it takes 5 years or more for the court to try an average case, with 50% of the pending cases considered minor cases, “which can actually be heard faster by the regional trial courts.”

“The expertise and competence of a trial court judge is more than sufficient to hear such kind of cases,” Drilon said. “The country’s anti-graft court has to deal with even the most minor of cases, thus further aggravating its workload.”

10 years for pork barrel scam case?

Drilon’s proposal comes as the Ombudsman investigates the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam. It will decide whether or not to file plunder cases against the accused before the Sandiganbayan.

Observers have expressed concern about how long the possible trial will take. Former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo has said it could take up to a decade for the perpetrators of the pork barrel scam to be convicted, if the current average length of time the Sandiganbayan finishes cases is taken into account.

The plunder trial of former President Joseph Estrada took 6 years, starting in 2001 and ending in 2007.

In the pork barrel scam, 3 senators and several congressmen face a plunder complaint for allegedly funneling their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to fake non-governmental organizations of Janet Lim-Napoles in exchange for kickbacks.

Drilon and other administration lawmakers are pushing for reforms in the Sandiganbayan to address delays in the resolution of cases.

The Senate President earlier filed a bill authorizing individual justices to hear and receive evidence on behalf of the division to which he or she belongs. It amends the rule requiring all 3 justices in a division to hear and receive evidence.

Drilon expects this bill to be sponsored on the Senate floor by March.

Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III also filed a bill to increase the number of Sandiganbayan associate justices, and will create 15 divisions with 3 justices each. The Sandiganbayan now has 5 divisions of 3 justices each.

The Sandiganbayan is a specialized court created to deal with corruption cases against government officials and employees. – Rappler.com

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