5 more years to run after grafters

The long arm of the law just got longer.

The Senate on Monday approved a bill that would give prosecutors five more years to run after corrupt officials, while providing witnesses more time to come forward and testify.

The Senate approved on third and final reading an amendment to the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act that would extend the prescriptive period for graft cases from 15 to 20 years.

“Our justice system can only be a strong deterrent against possible malfeasance if we demonstrate that no matter the passing of years, a crime remains a crime and those who committed them must answer for them,” said Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Drilon said the Senate’s approval of the measure was “a manifestation of the determination of Congress to stamp out corruption in the country, by making sure that time does not hinder our quest for justice nor provide a loophole for the corrupt.”

Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said the bill would help build a solid and winnable case against corrupt public officials, since their cases usually take a longer time to prosecute compared to other crimes.

Pimentel said many witnesses in graft cases are reluctant to come forward with incriminating evidence as they fear reprisals, especially from powerful government officials.

“This measure signals our unending quest for public accountability and will serve to remind erring public officers and employees that their so-called enviable lives or wealth, power and impunity are, in fact, fraught with impending retribution by the long arm of the law…which we can say has gotten even longer,” the senator said.