Supreme Court establishes integrity board, anti-corruption office

The Supreme Court (SC) has established two units that will act on complaints against and investigate erring justices, judges and court officials and employees.

The Judicial Integrity Board (JIB) has the power to receive and act on administrative complaints against the justices of the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals, Shari'ah High Court, the lower courts, and officials and employees of the judiciary, according to an SC resolution.

The JIB is to be chaired by either a retired chief justice or an SC associate justice. The vice chairperson must be a retired SC associate justice. Its regular members must be retired justices of the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, or Court of Tax Appeals.

Functions of the Office of the Court Administrator on administrative or disciplinary cases, complaints or referrals under Rule 140 of the Rules of Court and SC issuances will be transferred to the JIB, except in cases that the JIB may delegate to the OCA, according to the resolution.

On the other hand, the Corruption Prevention and Investigation Office (CPIO) has the power to investigate or conduct intelligence, surveillance or entrapment operations or lifestyle checks on justices and judiciary officials and employees liable for various offenses.

These include violations of civil service rules, the code of conduct for justices, judges, and court personnel, SC orders, and penal laws on crimes such as dereliction of duty, bribery, malversation of public funds or property, among others.

The JIB and the CPIO were created in 2018 but were "put on the back burner" as court authorities reviewed their functions, according to the SC Public Information Office.

Chief Diosdado Peralta had committed to "weed out misfits from the judiciary" as part of his 10-point program as top magistrate. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/RSJ, GMA News