Sandiganbayan rejects Bong Revilla's request to bar Justice Miranda from case

The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division issued a resolution on September 24, released on September 29, rejecting former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.’s petition to inhibit Associate Justice Karl Miranda from presiding over his P92.8-million malversation case. Revilla argued that Miranda should be barred because the judge’s brother, lawyer Buenaventura Miranda, represented former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, a state witness.

The court determined that Bernardo is only a witness and that the prosecution, not Justice Miranda, introduced his testimony, finding no grounds for bias. It also dismissed Revilla’s claim that Miranda’s separate opinion on the bail petition was unfounded, emphasizing that dissenting judicial opinions do not automatically indicate prejudice. The anti-graft court reiterated that adverse rulings alone do not prove partiality, allowing Miranda to continue hearing the case.