MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) An investigative body formed by the Supreme Court to look into allegations of bribery at the Court of Appeals will summon eight justices and a businessman to shed light on the issue, a spokesman for the high tribunal said Wednesday.

Asked to appear before the three-man panel Thursday would be Appellate Court Presiding Justice Conrado Vasquez; Associate Justices Vicente Roxas, Jose Sabio Jr., Apolinario Bruselas, Bienvenido Reyes, Myrna Dimaranan-Vidal, Martin Villarama, Edgardo Cruz; and businessman Francis de Borja, said lawyer Midas Marquez.

Midas said they would be required to attend the 9 a.m. hearing at the Supreme Court.

It was Associate Justice Roxas who penned the decision that granted the petition filed by the Manila Electric Co. to void an order by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which stopped the power firm’s board elections that would have paved the way for a takeover by the Government Service Insurance System.

The panel, composed of three former justices of the Supreme Court, will look into claims by De Borja that one of appellate court justices, Sabio, had asked for a multimillion peso bribe to inhibit himself from the case.

The investigative body, which met Wednesday, will also focus on whether there has been a violation of the Court of Appeals' internal rules.

Meanwhile, a group of lawyers asked the Supreme Court to be allowed to serve as amicus curiae or friends of the court during the investigation.

Lawyer Procopio Beltran of the Philippine Trial Lawyers Association said that while they were not disputing the integrity of the panel members, they would want to closely monitor the investigation to make sure that there would be no cover-up.

Marquez said the motion of the group would be forwarded to the panel chaired by retired Associate Justice Carolina Grino-Aquino. The other two members are former Associate Justices Romeo Callejo Sr. and Flerida Ruth Romero.