SC probing members of judiciary amid alleged case fixing —Remulla

The Supreme Court (SC) is now investigating members of the judiciary amid allegations of case fixing, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Monday.

“Actually, iniimbestigahan na siya ng SC (SC is already investigating it),” Remulla said in an ambush interview.

He issued the remark when about allegations that a former judge allegedly helped fix cases for businessman Atong Ang, who was named by one of the accused as a mastermind in the disappearance of the sabungeros from 2021 to 2022.

However, when asked about who are being investigated, Remulla said “iba-iba.”

GMA News Online has sought confirmation from the SC but has yet to receive a response as of posting time. 

Remulla previously warned that the possible mastermind in the case of the missing cockfight enthusiasts or sabungeros may have the money to infiltrate even Philippine courts.

He had said he would talk with Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo regarding this.

According to Remulla, he discussed the matter with a justice on Monday morning.

“Basta they’re doing their job. Ano naman sila eh, hindi naman sila balat sibuyas eh. They’re very sensitive about what should be done to improve our justice system,” he said.

(As long as they’re doing their job. They’re not overly sensitive or thin-skinned. They’re very aware of what needs to be done to improve our justice system.)

“And that’s what we’ve been agreeing on since we started three years ago with the Justice Sector Coordinating Council. Kaya we’re always in agreement with regards to how to improve the justice system,” he added.

Last week, Patidongan named Ang as a mastermind in the case. He also linked actress Gretchen Barretto to the disappearance.

The two have denied the allegations against them, with Ang saying that Patidongan threatened to link him to the disappearance if he refused to pay P300 million while Barretto said she received a similar threat.—LDF, GMA Integrated News