DOJ says it has reached 93% case conviction rate

THE Department of Justice yesterday said it was able to achieve a 93 percent case conviction rate through effective gathering of evidence and prosecution.

“The DOJ secured a high conviction rate of 93.59 percent on cases subjected to case build-ups from the second quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, in which 3,561 were convicted,” the DOJ said briefing paper presented during the department’s First Town Hall meeting held in Dasmarinas Arena in Dasmarinas City, Cavite.

The department added “after a year of proactive involvement in case build ups”, 7,114 weak cases were not filed in court and dismissed at the prosecutor level, contributing to the decongesting of court dockets.

Of the 26,681 cases subjected to preliminary investigation and inquest from the second quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024, the DOJ said 20,683 were “terminated” while 5,993 are still undergoing case build ups.

“Due to the DOJ’s diligence in gathering evidence along with our law enforcement agents, we were able to secure a 93.59 percent conviction rate,” Andres said. “We no longer allowed weak cases to be filed in court to harass the defendant, there is no deprivation of liberty without sufficient evidence.”

Andres said the DOJ has also institutionalized close cooperation and coordination between prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to weed out weak cases that would not stand the rigors of a court trial.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also issued a circular raising the threshold for filing of criminal cases in court, instructing prosecutors to immediately withdraw criminal charges in cases where there is no reasonable certainty of securing conviction.

The move departed from the current standard used by prosecutors in preliminary investigation of criminal cases which is probable cause.

Remulla previously expressed frustration over weak cases being filed in court which he said results in the detention of individuals who are later acquitted.

Remulla has also required prosecutors to go out of their offices and go with the police in talking to witnesses and gathering evidence, similar to the US District Attorney system as part of the efforts to further