Supreme Court Found Baguio City Judge Guilty with Illegal Drugs
BAGUIO CITY JUDGE – One of the personalities linked to illegal drugs by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 was found guilty by the Supreme Court.
Baguio City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Antonio C. Reyes is one of the seven trial court judges linked by Duterte for illegal drugs in 2016. Supreme Court found Reyes guilty of gross ignorance of the law, gross misconduct, and violations of the New Code of Conduct of the Philippine Judiciary.
Based on the report of Manila Bulletin, SC could no longer order dismissal of Reyes as he had mandatorily retired from the Judiciary on Nov. 20, 2017, during the pendency of his administrative case.
However, in a resolution released last Jan. 26, the SC ordered the forfeiture of Reyes’ retirement benefits, except accrued leave credits, and barred his re-employment in any public office.
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Retired SC Associate Justice Roberto A. Abad, who was tasked with conducting a fact-finding probe on the President’s allegations recommended filing an administrative case against Reyes.
Of the seven judges included President’s illegal drugs exposed, only four of them stood as judges when he publicly announces on August 7, 2016. The SC, on Abad’s recommendation, removed the three judges for lack of evidence.
In Reyes’ case, the SC in 2017 instructed Marquez’s office to continue the inventory of the cases Reyes handled, to investigate the judge’s driver, and to ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to locate the witnesses.
Witnesses testified that Reyes received money for the removal of illegal drug cases. It was found that he had cleared an illegal drug case even in the second motion for reconsideration prohibited by the Rules of Court.
Witnesses’ testimonies revealed that the price of Reyes’ acquittal and removal of the drug case ranged from P200,000 to P300,000. Reyes’ will prepare two decisions – one for acquittal and one for belief – and his “bag men” or “bag woman” will approach the family of the accused of money.
If payment is made on time, the acquittal decision will be published. If not paid, the defendant will be convicted.
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