Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) — The disposal of graft and corruption cases slowed down in 2020, a five-year-low, the Sandiganbayan said on Wednesday.
Data from the Judicial Records Division showed only 340 cases were disposed of, way lower than over a thousand cases per year since 2017.
Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang blamed the lockdowns as hearings were suspended, delaying case proceedings.
“Had the hearings in the cases proceeded normally, particularly for the reception of defense’ evidence, most of those cases could have been submitted for decision,” she said.
Meanwhile, the number of cases in 2020 was also the lowest in five years at just 117. Case filing apparently slowed down under Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
From over 2,500 filed cases in 2017, it dropped to around 700 in 2018, and 198 in 2019.
Martires earlier told CNN Philippines about his “one act, one case” policy, limiting the number of cases filed to avoid redundancy.
