Judge bucks inhibition, stresses his impartiality

Regional Trial Court judge Mienrado Paredes has assured state prosecutors of his independence in handing the case against former vice governor, John Gregory “John-John” Osmeña, who has been accused of coddling the people behind the importation of P1.6 billion worth of a regulated drug precursor in 2004.

Paredes said he had withstood several political pressures in the past and he never compromised. “My reputation is I am an independent judge,” he told state prosecutors led by Archimedes Manabat.

Paredes however said he understood the prosecutors’ move for him to inhibit from the case, due to allegations of bias for Osmeña, and that he is not taking it against them.

The state prosecutors had accused Paredes of showing partiality in favor of Osmeña, citing one hearing in the past when the judge openly declared that he was not satisfied with the evidence presented by the prosecution. They then believed that he had already prejudged the case in favor of the accused.

The prosecution argued that they attempted to correct the court’s impression by stating the circumstances pointing to Osmeña’s knowledge of the illegal importation and his coddling of the people behind it, but these were allegedly shrugged off.

Paredes instead described the prosecution of engaging in speculations, said the prosecutors, who in turn retaliated by saying that he was the one engaging in speculation when he said that the accused and politicians have been just “very accommodating”, thus, “they commit mistakes.”

State prosecutors said that Paredes has already delved into the function of the Department of Justice to determine probable cause.

The judge however reminded the prosecutors yesterday that he gave them a chance to present more evidence but they opted to submit their memoranda, but instead of submitted these, they moved for the judge’s inhibition and suspension of the proceedings pending the resolution of this motion.  — Fred P. Languido/RAE