SC dismisses court sheriff for neglect of duty

The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed a court sheriff in Angeles City, Pampanga, for failing to properly perform his duties.

“Court employees, as public servants, are bound to live up to the strictest standards in the performance of their duties,” the SC en banc said in its decision.

“A recurring conduct of a court employee, marked by numerous administrative violations, deserves nothing but the gravest penalty of dismissal from service,” it added.

According to the Court, the case stemmed from the sheriff’s handling of a writ of execution in a case involving the Anti-Bouncing Check Law. He was ordered to seize and sell the properties of a woman to satisfy the judgment.

However, the complainant said the sheriff improperly submitted a notice to lift the levy on the real properties without a court order, causing the cancellation of the levy and allowing the woman to transfer the property to another individual.

Due to this, the Office of the Court Administrator recommended the sheriff’s dismissal.

The SC said that the sheriff has a history of infractions in his 40 years of service in the judiciary.

“The Court will not shy from ridding its ranks of court employees ‘who undermine its efforts towards an effective and efficient administration of justice.’ In this case, respondent’s deplorable track record in the judiciary reveals a pattern of unwillingness to reform, deeming it worthy of the gravest penalty,” it said.

The decision, penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, was promulgated in July 2024 and made public in March 2025. —VBL, GMA Integrated News