SC orders probe of alleged links of 4 judges in illegal drugs

The Supreme Court of the Philippines building in Manila, Philippines.
(Photo: Mike Gonzalez/Wikimedia Commons)

MANILA – The Supreme Court (SC) ordered on Tuesday a fact-finding investigation on allegation of involvement of four judges in illegal drugs as disclosed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his speech last Sunday.

The four judges named by President Duterte are Judge Exequiel Dagala of Dapa-Socorro, Surigao Municipal Trial Court (MTC); Judge Adriano Savillo of Iloilo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 30; Judge Domingo Casiple of Kalibo, Aklan RTC Branch 7; and Judge Antonio Reyes of Baguio City RTC Branch 1.

In a press conference, SC Public Information Office (PIO) Chief and Spokesman Atty. Theodore O. Te said that “the Court today resolved to treat the speech of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as a complaint against the four incumbent judges.”

“Conduct a fact-finding investigation on the alleged involvement of the four incumbent judges,” Te said of the SC resolution on Tuesday.

Likewise, the SC ordered Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea to submit the complaint-affidavits against the four judges within seven days, furnishing the respondent judges with a copy of the same.

Also, the respondent judges were ordered to submit their answers within a similar period of seven days from receipt of the complaint-affidavit.

At the same time, the SC appointed retired SC Associate Justice Roberto A. Abad as the sole investigator.

Abad was ordered to terminate the investigation within 30 days from joinder of issues or receipt of answers and make his recommendation to the SC En Banc.