Weak court cases
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a circular directing state prosecutors to only file court cases with reasonable certainty of conviction is “strong.”
Without doubt, the issuance of Department Circular Order No. 008 is “a welcome development” in the government’s all-out efforts to decongest court dockets.
In fact, the circular likewise directed the prosecutors to withdraw cases where the chances of conviction are slim, according to DOJ spokesman Miko Clavano.
If it’s determined that there is no reasonable certainty of conviction, the handling prosecutor is ordered to immediately file the proper motion to withdraw the information.
Clavano said the policy of DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, a former member of the House of Representatives, is to file only quality cases or cases that will yield conviction.
We agree with the highly-articulate justice department spokesman that the gap between probable cause and proof beyond reasonable doubt is too wide.
As a result, the conviction rate suffers, with the congestion rate in jails ballooning as well, according to Clavano.
He said that “it happens too often that persons are committed to jail and then eventually released.”
And we share the view of the DOJ spokesman when he said that government resources are wasted when weak cases are filed by state prosecutors.
Certainly, the filing of weak cases in court must be addressed now by concerned government authorities.
