Dismayed over allegations of corruption in the judiciary, Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. has asked US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone to name names and provide him with details regarding corrupt judges and justices, or the so-called "hoodlums in robes."
Ricciardone had previously said the Philippines was losing out to Asian neighbors due to perceptions of widespread corruption and constitutional barriers to foreign investment.
Davide was in a hospital when the US envoy told foreign correspondents that foreign investors were transferring their investments to other Asian countries because of the perceived corruption in the Philippine judicial system.
Writing for Davide, Supreme Court (SC) public information chief Ismael Khan Jr. told Ricciardone: "Your favorable action on this request as soon as possible will go a long, long way in demonstrating your adherence to the elementary virtue of fairness."
Khan said Davide was "dismayed" with Ricciardone’s statements because the ambassador seemed to have forgotten their March 21 meeting where the Chief Justice had talked about the continuing purge of corrupt judges and justices.
Ricciardone had said the No. 1 barrier to investments was "corruption, not just regarding the courts but also officials outside" the judiciary.
"Foreign investors have complained about that to me and to other ambassadors here… we have a real problem here," Ricciardone said.
In a two-page letter to Ricciardone on Davide’s behalf dated Aug. 5, Khan said, "The SC has been vigorously addressing, and continues to do so, the issue of corruption in the judiciary."
Khan added that Davide is "desirous of obtaining details" regarding judiciary corruption. The SC also wants Ricciardone to cite specific instances in which American citizens were discriminated against by members of the judiciary – including cases in which jurists extorted money, lawyers bribed judges and how US investors were driven away.
Khan said Ricciardone’s response would greatly improve Davide’s "campaign to purge the judiciary of scalawags and misfits."
The assistant court administrator also said he was tasked by Davide to write to the five businessmen who were quoted in newspaper reports as saying they have "personal knowledge" of several corrupt practices in the government’s Third Estate.
Among those asked to give details on judicial corruption are Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) president Donald Dee, Universal Motors Corp. vice president for marketing Roland Francisco, Philtrak Inc. president Francis Yuseko Jr. and Newtech Pulp president Alberto Fenix.
The High Tribunal said it has been aggressively addressing the perceived corruption in the judiciary by ridding its ranks of corrupt, incompetent and inefficient members since Davide took to the SC helm in November of 1998.
Records show that 352 judges were penalized for various offenses from 1999 until early 2002. Of this number, 22 were dismissed, including Court of Appeals Justice Demetrio Demetria; 19 were relieved or suspended, including two Sandiganbayan justices; 43 were reprimanded and 189 were fined.