SC panel finds five CA justices violated ethics in Meralco-GSIS case

The Supreme Court is set to tackle in its en banc session Tuesday the findings of the panel tasked to investigate the controversy at the Court of Appeals (CA) on the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) – Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) case.

The panel’s findings reportedly showed irregularities and improprieties committed by five CA justices involved in the controversy.

In a 59-page report submitted by the panel to the SC, it said irregularities and improprieties were committed by CA Justices Jose Sabio, Presiding Justice Conrado Vasquez, Vicente Roxas, Bienvenido Reyes and Myrna Vidal.

In the panel’s findings, it reportedly stated that Justice Sabio’s unusual interest in holding on to the Meralco case seemed to indicate that he may have been influenced “to help GSIS” since his brother, Presidential Commission on Good Government chairman Camilo Sabio, advised him to do so.

The panel said Sabio violated the new Code of Judicial Conduct for the judiciary when he allowed his brother to influence his conduct on the Meralco case. The report added that Justice Sabio was also remiss in his duty to inform the CA presiding justice about his brother’s unethical phone call.

The 3-man panel formed by retired SC justices also castigated Justice Sabio for discussing the Meralco case with businessman Francis de Borja, which the panel said was highly inappropriate and indiscreet, adding it broke the shield of “confidentiality” on the disposition of cases in court.

The SC panel, however, gave more weight to Justice Sabio’s story about de Borja’s alleged P10-million bribe offer on behalf of Meralco, saying Sabio’s disclosure on the bribery attempt to Presiding Justice Vasquez contradicted de Borja’s claim that the justice asked for a counter-offer of P50 million from Meralco instead.

The panel believes that if de Borja’s claim was true, Sabio would have waited for Meralco’s reply to his counter-offer.Still, the panel said in its report that Justice Sabio was remiss in his duty to make a full disclosure of the bribery attempt when he withheld the name of de Borja as the one who offered a bribe.

The panel’s findings also hit at Presiding Justice Vasquez’s failed leadership as CA head, citing his hesitation, indecisiveness and lack of action on the issue.

The panel found appalling Presiding Justice Vasquez’s silence, inaction and indifference on the reported attempt to corrupt a member of the CA.

The panel, meantime, found Justice Reyes discourteous to Vasquez because he did not wait for the presiding justice’s action on his letter to settle the ongoing row on the handling of the Meralco case and ended up signing the decision already.
Justice Myrna Vidal meanwhile was found too compliant for allowing herself to be rushed into signing the first version of the Meralco decision even without reading the parties’ memoranda and without any deliberation on the case.
The panel’s findings, however, were most harsh on the one who wrote the Meralco decision.
It cited as irregular and improper Roxas’s inaction as ponente on several motions of the parties.
The panel called Roxas dishonest and untruthful when he allegedly fabricated a transcript of the deliberation on the Meralco case and claimed there were a number of deliberations on the case.
The panel also said Roxas was disrespectful to his colleagues, Justices Vidal and Presiding Justice Vasquez , in pushing for the promulgation of the Meralco decision.

The high court is set to tackle these findings in its en banc session Tuesday.
Source

September 9th, 2008
Categories: news . Author: johnnytalkback

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