Makati judge inhibits from Beltran case

Believing that the prosecution will just cast doubt on every decision she will make after the Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused her of partiality, Makati City Regional Trail Court (RTC) Branch 137 Judge Jenny Lind Delorino has decided to inhibit herself from the rebellion case filed against Anakpawis partylist Rep. Crispin Beltran.

"So as to preclude any further suspicion of partiality and bias on the part of this judge, she deems it prudent to recuse herself from hearing and deciding this case," Dolorino said an order.

Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco earlier asked Delorino to inhibit herself from the case after the judge junked the DOJ resolution to amend the charge sheet against Beltran to include former senator Gregorio Honasan, the so-called Batasan 5 and 40 others.

The original charge sheet named only Beltran and 1LT Lawrence San Juan of the Magdalo Group as respondents.

Delorino ruled against the motion upon learning that the proposed amendment to the original compaint for rebellion will actually replace it.

The prosecution accused Delorino of making a ruling that manifested partiality in favor of the accused by hastily junking their motion.

Velasco also accused Delorino of giving media interviews and discussing the resolution before the prosecution even received an official copy.

The case will be re-raffled off to another judge next week .

Meanwhile, Beltran’s lawyers from the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) denounced Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and his panel of government lawyers for pressuring Delorino to inhibit herself from the case.

They said the prosecution’s motion for Delorino’s inhibition is "grossly unfair, obviously designed to cover-up for the incompetence, the blunders and the violations of the constitutional and statutory rights of the accused committed by the public prosecutors and Gonzalez himself."