Gov’t denies pressure on court to rule vs Trillanes

The Department of Justice (DOJ) denounced on Sunday the allegation of Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano that Judge Andres Soriano of the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 148 is being pressured by the government to rule against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

“The DOJ takes very strong exception to Rep. Alejano’s allegation that Makati RTC Judge Andres Soriano is being pressured by the government to rule against Sen. Trillanes in the coup d’etat case against the senator,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a statement.

“The DOJ does not interact with the judge except through the pleadings filed and arguments raised in open court,” he added.

Guevarra said Alejano’s allegations “tend to impede the orderly administration of justice, unfairly cast aspersion on the integrity and professionalism of the Department of Justice and its state prosecutors, and contumaciously influence Judge Soriano’s decision-making process.”

The Justice Secretary also pointed out that the statements against their “side” are “unfair” and that it is the camp of Trillanes who is trying to influence the decision-making of Soriano.

“I just find it unfair that Sen Trillanes’ camp continually makes unfair statements against our side,” Guevarra said.

“Come to think of it, sila yung (they are the ones) clearly trying to influence the decision-making ni (of the) judge. The DOJ has not engaged them in sub judice argumentation in the media, but they’re just going a bit too far,” he added.

Earlier, Alejano claimed that Soriano was pressured by the government to rule against Trillanes in the coup d’etat case against the latter.

Soriano is set to rule on the motion filed by the DOJ seeking the arrest of the senator on charges of coup d’ etat for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny. /ee

READ: Trillanes’ fate in the hands of 2 RTC judges