Pasay judge, clerk probed for bribery

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has placed a Pasay City judge and a court employee under preventive suspension for 90 days while both are being investigated for allegedly accepting P6 million in exchange for a favorable decision in a civil case.

In a resolution dated Tuesday, the court en banc started administrative proceedings against Pasay Regional Trial Court Judge Alberto Cansino and officer in charge and acting branch clerk of court Mariejoy Lagman.

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

The pair is also under investigation by the Department of Justice.

Lagman was earlier arrested in an entrapment operation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation, prompting Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo to order Court Administrator Raul Villanueva on May 24 to submit a report on the incident.

Villanueva said the NBI operation was based on an anonymous email complaint sent to the Judicial Integrity Board.

After verifying the information, the NBI initiated the entrapment operation, where P6 million and five marked P1,000 bills were used as “boodle money.” —Jane Bautista