Court denies Dumpit’s plea to inhibit judge

Regional Trial Court Judge Ester Veloso will go on handling the murder trial of SPO1 Adonis Dumpit.

The Court of Appeals (CA) denied Dumpit’s pleading to stop Judge Veloso from presiding over his case in a decision dated Jan. 5.

“I didn’t see any grave abuse of discretion on the part of Judge Veloso in denying some of the motions filed by Dumpit’s camp. I had to dismiss the petition,”  said Associate Judtice Gabriel Ingles told Cebu Daily News.

Two other CA justices  denied the request of the defense Pampio Abarintos and Eduardo Peralta Jr.

Judge Veloso is scheduled to hear the case today.

Dumpit complained that the judge was biased against him in denying his r motions for preliminary investigation, bail and transfer of the accused to another jail facility.

Veloso is the second judge to handle the policeman’s case.

She ordered  Dumpit’s transfer from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) detention cell to the Cebu City Jail in barangay Kalunasan after the victim’s mother complained that the policeman was allowed to go out of his cell because of his familiarity with the police guards.

The judge  also denied the request of the defense to downgrade Dumpit’s murder charge to homicide.

Dumpit’s motion for bail was also turned down.

Defense lawyers asked  Veloso  to inhibit from hearing the case, saying they “lost confidence” in her  capacity to conduct a fair trial and render a fair decision on the case.

But the judge  said an inhibition must be for “just and valid causes”  and that mere imputation of bias was not enough ground for her to withdraw.

Dumpit is facing murder charges for shooting dead Ronron Go, a robbery suspect,  in 2004./ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL