Low number of cases filed at Ombudsman

THE Office of the Ombudsman recorded only 1,381 cases for fact-finding in the first six months of 2024, lower by 32 percent compared to 2,038 cases for the same period last year.

Out of the said total, the anti-graft agency completed the investigation of 389 complaints for the first semester, or a 28.17 percent accomplishment which was higher than its 21 percent target set at the start of the year.

Fact-finding is the first level of inquiry into complaints which are lacking in material evidence but is deemed to have sufficient verifiable leads to warrant case build-up. At this stage, the party or persons being investigated are not yet informed of the pending complaint and are not yet required to answer the allegations.

Also during the first half of the year, total criminal and forfeiture case workload stood at 1,307, slightly lower compared to 1,544 from January to June 2023.

Resolved cases tally combined for the two quarters was at 378, or 28.92 percent of the total, a significant drop from 546 cases or 35.36 percent at the same time in 2023.

The figures were revealed in the agency’s 2024 Second Quarterly Physical Report of Operation which was part of its compliance to the national government’s requirement for greater transparency.

Based on the first quarter report of the Sandiganbayan Judicial Records Division for 2024, the Ombudsman has filed only 25 cases in the first three months of the year.

During the same period, the anti-graft court disposed 638 pending cases.

The low number of cases being filed and the faster disposal of cases resulted in the further drop of pending cases in the seven divisions of the Sandiganbayan at only 1,407 cases as of March 2024, the lowest total since 1979 when the court first started operating with 543 cases for the full year.