The Department of Justice-led Task Force Against Corruption has also received complaints of corruption involving court personnel, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Friday.
He says the 274 complaints received by the DOJ-TFAC include allegations of corruption against some court personnel that the task force has already forwarded to the Supreme Court for action, particularly its newly activated Judicial Integrity Board that has exclusive jurisdiction over the corruption cases against court personnel.
“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,” Guevarra said when asked if some of the complaints involved justices and judges.
Last year, the high court activated its JIB, which, together with the Corruption Prevention and Investigation Office, was created in 2018 to probe the so-called misfits in the judiciary.
The JIB is led by retired SC Associate Justice Romeo Callejo Sr. as its chairperson with retired SC Associate Justice Angelina Sandoval Gutierrez as vice chairperson.
“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…” the high court said.
The JIB has exclusive jurisdiction over administrative complaints against 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; first and second level court judges, including Shari’a District and Circuit Court judges charged with serious charges under Rule 140 of the Rules of Court; and 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 investigations 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.
Earlier, the DOJ said TFAC had filed with the Office of the Ombudsman 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,” Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay Villar said.
Villar said one of the cases filed before the OMB involved “a Representative in Congress and the DPWH on the favoring of certain contractors.”
The other case, she said, involved “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 said.
Villar said the TFAC had 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. 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.”
Villar said 69 complaints “have been referred to other TFAC members and appropriate agencies for comment/action.”
