Mockery of justice

The wheels of justice really grind very slowly in this country. Like many criminal and civil cases still pending in the courts, the guilty verdict on Imelda Marcos is long overdue.

To me, it is nothing but a mockery of justice, considering she can still be pardoned later due to her advanced age.

A defendant, if found guilty by the lower court, is entitled to appeal the decision up to the Supreme Court. This legal exercise is called due process.

But, in many instances, it becomes an overlong process, because of the numerous  motions or pleadings mostly intended to delay the proceedings.

The graft cases filed against Imelda Marcos are classic examples. I find it hard to understand why the Ombudsman and then the Sandiganbayan took more than 27 years to come up with

a resolution convicting the former first lady.

We were taught that justice delayed is justice denied, especially if the accused is eventually deemed innocent by the court.

This dictum also applies to Imelda Marcos even if she would be acquitted by the Sandiganbayan following her motion for reconsideration, or would be declared not guilty when her cases reached the Supreme Court.

The accused may then be too old to serve jail time, or  is no longer alive by the time the high court issues a final ruling.

MELCHOR AMADO JR., [email protected]