Makati judge suspended over P.1-million bribe

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has suspended a Makati City regional trial court (RTC) judge for receiving P100,000 for a favorable decision on a case involving her aunt’s friend.

In a 13-page decision, the SC’s third division suspended Makati RTC Branch 144 Judge Evelyn Arcaya-Chua for six months without salary and other benefits after finding her guilty of gross misconduct.

In the ruling penned by Associate Justice Ma. Alicia Austria–Martinez, the SC also warned Chua that committing a similar act would lead to a harsher penalty.

The SC imposed the penalty even if Sylvia Santos withdrew the complaint after Chua returned the money.

The Court said it gave weight to the “unwavering stance” of Santos that Chua did solicit and receive P100,000 from her in order to facilitate a favorable ruling on the cases involving her friend, Emerita Muñoz, before the SC.

Santos filed on July 14, 2005 before the SC a complaint of serious misconduct and dishonesty against Chua, the wife of her nephew.

She alleged that in September 2002, she asked the help of Chua, then presiding judge of Makati City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 62, on Muñoz’s cases.

Santos said she handed the money to Chua in October 2002. She said when she followed up in February 2003, Chua told her the other party was offering P10 million to SC justices handling Muñoz’s cases. Chua denied the allegation.

The SC referred the complaint against Chua to the Court of Appeals (CA) for investigation, report and recommendation in 2007. The case was dismissed after Santos withdrew her complaint, for the sake of harmonious relations in their family.

The SC then asked Santos to explain why she should not be held in contempt of court after filing the complaint.

In her reply dated Jan. 6, 2008, Santos said all her allegations against Chua “are true and based on respondent’s personal knowledge” even though she had withdrawn the complaint.

On March 3, 2008, the SC reopened the case against Chua and directed the CA to conduct an investigation. The CA said there was “sufficient” basis to hold Chua liable since she asked Santos for forgiveness and returned the money.