Chief Justice orders probe into P6-million bribery case vs a Pasay judge

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo (File photo from SUPREME COURT FB page)

MANILA CITY, Philippines — Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo has ordered Court Administrator Raul Villanueva to look into the allegation that a Regional Trial Court Judge from Pasay City had asked for a P6-million bribe money from a litigant in exchange for a favorable decision.

In a statement, Gesmundo gave Villanueva until Monday (May 27) to submit a report and a recommendation on the incident.

Under Presidential Decree 828, the Office of the Court Administrator (OCAD) has the mandate of assisting the Supreme Court in its administrative supervision of all courts in the country, including over 2,000 judges and over 20,000 court personnel.

Gesmundo gave the order following the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) arrest of a court employee from Pasay City Regional Trial Court accepting the P6 million bribe in exchange for a favorable judgment in a civil case.

Upon arrest, the employee said the exchange of money was upon the instruction of the presiding judge.

The Supreme Court has not mentioned the name of the judge pending the investigation and the recommendation from the OCAD.