THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Tuesday announced the reopening of the acceptance of applications or recommendations for the position of Special Prosecutor of the Office of the Ombudsman, which is set to be vacated by Special Prosecutor Wendell E. Barreras-Sulit, who will retire on March 11.
The JBC said all applications or recommendations, together with complete set of documentary requirements, must be submitted to the council on or before the end of the month.
It added that the date of actual receipt by the JBC of the applications and requirements shall be deemed as the date of filing.
It can be recalled that on July 22, 2016, the Court of Appeals (CA) ordered the reinstatement of Barreras-Sulit, who was dismissed by President Benigno S. Aquino III in 2013 for entering into a plea-bargaining agreement with the former Armed Forces comptroller, Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who was charged with plunder and money- laundering cases.
The CA said the Office of the President committed an error when it dismissed Barreras-Sulit from the service, saying the plea-bargaining agreement she entered into with Garcia is lawful, and “does not violate existing rules and jurisprudence”.
The CA said Barreras-Sulit entered into the plea-bargaining agreement not on her own but under the direct supervision of then-Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.
Gutierrez resigned in 2011 before the Senate starts her impeachment trial, owing to her alleged underperformance and failure to act on several cases during the term of then- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Likewise, the CA said the Ombudsman is allowed to enter into a plea-bargaining agreement under Section 11 of the Ombudsman Act of 1989.
The Court also noted that agreement was approved by the Office of the Solicitor General and the Anti-Money Laundering Council.