SC thumbs down special courts for pork barrel scam cases

The Supreme Court has junked a request to create special courts that would exclusively hear pork barrel fund scam-related cases being heard by the Sandiganbayan.

 

The request for special courts was made by the Ombudsman which suggested that two special divisions within the anti-graft court be created to exclusively and continuously hear the cases filed against alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, as well as Revilla, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and all their co-accused.

 

"In denying the letter (request), the SC noted that the reasons given by the Ombudsman lack sufficient basis and fail to show a compelling need because the justices of the Sandiganbayan handling the cases have shown competence to deal with the various issues," said the SC Public Information Office in a media briefing on Tuesday.

 

The SC compared the current request by the Ombudsman from that made during the plunder trial of former President Joseph Estrada.

 

"In (Estrada's) case, a necessity to create the special division was shown because of recurrent changes in the court's composition because of impending retirements and the relationship that the former President had with some justices who opted to inhibit from the case," said the SC PIO.

 

In its four-page comment to the Ombudsman plea, the Sandiganbayan had earlier said all cases related to the massive fraud should be assigned to the existing divisions "to be fair to the persons involved in the said cases, as well as those who are facing charges in other cases pending before the Sandiganbayan.”

 

"After a thorough discussion, the majority of the justices of the Sandiganbayan is of the view that there is no compelling reason and or imperative need to create a special division or divisions to try the criminal cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman relative to the disbursement and use of the PDAF," it said in its comment.

 

Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and all of the 13 other magistrates signed the document.

 

The Sandiganbayan also said assigning special courts for the pork barrel cases could lead to a conflict with the other equally important cases being handled and tried by the its justices. —NB, GMA News