Published April 30, 2021, 3:26 PM
Sandiganbayan
Former Tacloban City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Crisologo S. Bitas has to undergo trial on the graft case filed against him by the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB).
Court trial is the consequence of the Sandiganbayan’s ruling that dismissed Bitas’ motion to reconsider the resolution which denied his demurrer to evidence, a pleading that sought the dismissal of a criminal case on allegations that the prosecution’s evidence is weak to sustain a judgment of conviction.
Bitas was hailed to court on two counts of violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act when he, in 2011, granted bail to two persons who were charged with the non-bailable offense of qualified trafficking under Republic Act No. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.