Supreme Court looking into ‘fake’ report
Supreme Court spokesperson and Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Supreme Court has ordered its Program Management Office (PMO) to answer allegations of irregularities in the World Bank-funded reform program for the judiciary.
Supreme Court spokesperson Midas Marquez said the high tribunal directed the PMO to come out with a report on the allegedly questionable procurements and disbursements in the Judicial Reform Support Project (JRSP), which the bank had partly funded with $21.9 million, or about P931 million.
“The court directed the Project Management Office to directly deal with the World Bank (team that came out with the report and) to look into this and answer whatever issues are being raised,” Marquez said at a press briefing.
“Let’s give the PMO the opportunity to address the issue. More than anyone, it should be the PMO and not the Office of the President, not anyone, (who should answer) this is with regard the projects of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Marquez stressed that the “press release” that leaked the World Bank aide memoire was not issued by then Washington, D.C.-based multilateral institution.
“It appears that the press release that supposedly came from the World Bank is turning out to be a fake one. That’s really very unfortunate,” Marquez said.
“The court is looking into it. It was intended to put the court in disrespect,” he added.
Marquez explained that a World Bank team had been coordinating with the PMO about the “regular monitoring” of the project since it was launched in 2003.
He explained that the normal procedure was for the World Bank team to ask the PMO about certain issues that needed addressing before a final aide memoire would be released. Those issues are not supposed to come out, they would still be for comment by the high court, he said. But this is not what happened, Marquez said.
“Before, the entire draft (of the aide memoire) would be given to the PMO for it to comment. After comment, the WB will come out with final aide memoire,” he said.
Marquez reiterated that Chief Justice Renato Corona had only inherited the project from his predecessors.
He also defended himself from the critical findings in the report that noted his “multiple positions” at the high tribunal.
