Corruption in the judiciary exists - Philippine Judicial Academy

MANILA, Philippines - A retired Court of Appeals justice on Thursday admitted that corruption is not new in the judiciary, but said it most of the times starts with lawyers and not with judges and magistrates. "Yun yung corruptor eh, ‘yung justices corrupted lang (The lawyers are the corruptor, while the judges are the corrupted),” said former CA Associate Justice Hilarion Aquino in an interview by Jun Veneracion in GMA’s 24 Oras. Aquino, chairman of the ethics committee of the Philippine Judicial Academy (PJA), made the statement following the sacking of a magistrate and the suspension of another one over the bribery scandal that rocked the Court of Appeals recently. The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the relief of CA Associate Justice Vicente Roxas after he was found guilty of multiple violations of the canons of the Code of Judicial Conduct, grave misconduct, dishonesty, undue interest and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service. This was in connection with the controversial ruling he issued last July 23 favoring the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) in its legal war against the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Another CA magistrate, Jose Sabio Jr, was meted with a two-month suspension after he was found guilty of simple misconduct and conduct unbecoming of a justice of the CA. In the television report, Aquino explained that there would be no corruption if there is no corruptor. Saying that corruption is “habit-forming,” Aquino said he always reminds those who are attending his seminars in the PJA not to be lured by money. “I used to tell the judges and the ministers ‘you know corruption is habit forming. We start with little things eventually it escalates to million,’” he said. Veteran lawyer Vitaliano Aguirre echoed Aquino’s statement that lawyers are to be blamed for the corruption in the judiciary. “Kumakalat na ang corruption sa judiciary (corruption is spreading in the judiciary) and the judges are not only to blame but the lawyers are also to blame,” Aguirre said. According to the report, in a span of 30 years, from 1947-2007, there were at least 94 lawyers disbarred by the Supreme Court for alleged improprieties. But nobody wants to complain against these lawyers, the report said. Lawyer Frank Chavez of the Operation Clean Hands, meanwhile, the chain of corruption will not be completed if not through the help of justices. “Kahit na anong gawin ng abogado pag ayaw ng justice, wala din (No matter how corrupt the lawyer is, if the judge will not participate, then there’s no corruption). So it takes two to tango,” Chavez said. - GMANews.TV