Gov’t prosecutors claim 58% conviction rate

More than half of the graft cases handled by government prosecutors this year before the Sandiganbayan resulted in convictions, a report prepared by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) showed.

Out of 155 cases decided from January to October, prosecutors secured 90 convictions for a batting average of 58.06 percent, according to the report “Decided Cases for Year 2007” as of Oct. 9, 2007.

Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio released the report to the media yesterday afternoon, but declined to comment on it.

The OSP was still busy yesterday working on its comment and opposition to the motion for reconsideration filed by former President Joseph Estrada on his conviction of plunder by the anti-graft court. Today is the OSP’s deadline for filing its comment.

According to the report, the conviction rate of government prosecutors in January is 63.64 percent, 66.67 percent in February, and 69.23 percent in March.

In April, the rating was at 50 percent, hitting 60 percent in May. 

June saw the conviction rate at 33.33 percent and 57.14 percent the following month. In August, the rate was at 46.67 percent, 40 percent for September, and October at 66.67 percent, making the average conviction rate of 58.06 percent.

A total of 155 cases were decided on from January 2007 to Oct. 9, 2007. Of this, 90 cases were convictions and 65 were acquittals.

The report said that last January, there were 44 decided cases – 28 convictions and 16 acquittals; February, 3 decided cases – 2 convictions, 1 acquittal; March, 39 decided cases – 27 convictions, 12 acquittals; April, 12 decided cases – 6 convictions, 6 acquittals; May, 10 decided cases – 6 convictions, 4 acquittals; June, 12 decided cases – 4 convictions, 8 acquittals; July, 7 decided cases – 4 convictions, 3 acquittals; August, 15 decided cases – 7 convictions, 8 acquittals;  September, 10 decided cases – 4 convictions, 6 acquittals; October, 3 decided cases – 2 convictions, 1 acquittal.

Meanwhile, no new cases were filed in January, February, May, August, September, and October this year.

Eight new cases were filed in March, two in April, 29 in June, and 11 in July for a total of 50 new cases filed.

The report was prepared and signed by Regina de Leon, administrative aide VI and Severo Sotto, supervising administrative officer, both of the OSP.  – Sandy Araneta