Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Friday asked Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to create at least two special divisions from the Sandiganbayan to exclusively try and conduct continuous trial on the pork barrel scam.
In her letter, Morales cited the “national magnitude of these cases, the complexities of the issues involved, the number of accused and the far-reaching consequences of these cases.”
Morales, invoked in her letter the Constitution and the Revised Internal Rules of the Sandiganbayan, the letter cited as precedent the high court’s Jan. 21, 2002 Resolution in A.M. No. 02-1-07-SC that created a Special Division of the Sandiganbayan to exclusively hear, try and decide, with dispatch, the plunder case and all related cases filed against former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada and his co-accused.
Section 5, par. 5, Article VIII of the Constitution states that the Supreme Court has the power to “[p]romulgate rules concerning x x x pleading, practice, and procedure in all courts, x x x.”
Section 3, Rule III, Part I of the Revised Internal Rules of the Sandiganbayan provides for the creation of a special division “where compelling reasons and the interest of justice so require.”
Morales’ letter came after the filing of three Information for Plunder against senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and their respective co-accused.
Meanwhile, Morales also created a special prosecution panel composed of three teams to handle the first set of criminal cases filed in connection with the PDAF controversy.
The Prosecution Panel is co-chaired by Deputy Special Prosecutor John Turalba and Acting Deputy Special Prosecutor Manuel Soriano Jr.
The Panel’s first team is composed of Acting Director Janina Hidalgo as team leader with Assistant Special Prosecutors Edwin Gomez, Jennifer Agustin-Se and Annielyn Medes-Cabellis as members.
The Panel’s second team is composed of Acting Director Danilo Lopez as team leader with Assistant Special Prosecutors Christina Marallag-Batacan, Anna Isabel Aurellano and Peter Jedd Boco as members.
The Panel’s third team is composed of Acting Director Joefferson Toribio as team leader with Assistant Special Prosecutors Jacinto Dela Cruz, Lyn Dimayuga and Emerita Francia as members.
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