Ombudsman: Government lost P600 billion in junked cases

Dismissal due to inordinate delay worries Remulla

MANILA, Philippines — The government has lost close to P600 billion from cases dismissed in courts due to “inordinate delay” in prosecution, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday.

“It’s very alarming. This has to stop. There’s much negligence, we have to stop this habit. We should have a way of tracing who is responsible for what,” Remulla said at a briefing.

The P600 billion, he said, spans the last 15 years. The problem, he said, may have stemmed from dilatory tactics employed by defense lawyers to prolong trial, mostly of graft cases.

Remulla said he would be pushing for shortening the period of evaluating whether cases are dismissible – from 72 hours to 48 hours – to avoid political theatrics.

The period of preliminary investigation will also be reduced from the allowable one year to only 60 days. The fact-finding phase will also be limited to 60 days.

“From evaluation to fact-finding to preliminary investigation to prosecution, it stretches to one year. It has to stop. We have to either dismiss or file it. Dalawa lang yan. Walang matutulog dapat. Everything has to move,” he said.

Remulla also vowed to raise the standards for the filing of cases – from determining probable cause to establishing reasonable certainty of conviction to prevent the weaponization of the ombudsman and to have cases promptly subjected to trial.

The ombudsman said his office is already crafting revised rules on preliminary investigation and would have them published once completed. He said the rules would be crafted in such a way that no rights would be violated.

Remulla said he also hopes to initiate a dialogue with the judiciary – including the Supreme Court – to address the delays in cases, as well as other problems besetting the justice system.