Dante Jimenez pays SC P30-K fine for indirect contempt

Self-styled anti-crime crusader Dante Jimenez on Wednesday paid the Supreme Court the P30,000 penalty imposed on him for badmouthing members of the high tribunal who voted to acquit the suspects in the Vizconde massacre. Jimenez, former chair of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, is a close ally of Lauro Vizconde, who lost his wife and two daughters in the gruesome massacre on June 30, 1991. Still, a defiant Jimenez expressed dismay that he was penalized for voicing his disappointment with the court. "This is my compliance, but of course I am saddened because I was just expressing my frustration over the case of Lauro Vizconde," Jimenez told reporters. Jimenez gave the amount in P1 and P5 denominations. He added that the money came from the "Piso-Piso Para Kay Dante" fundraising drive conducted by his supporters. On Dec. 14, 2010 the Supreme Court acquitted Hubert Webb, son of former Sen. Freddie Webb, and his six other co-accused. Immediately after the decision was handed down, Jimenez spoke at a press conference and hurled expletives against the justices who voted to acquit the seven men. "Kayo mga justices, mga PI kayo! Pinatay ninyo ang criminal justice system (You justices, you SOBs! You killed the criminal justice system)," Jimenez had shouted angrily in front of media. The Supreme Court later found Jimenez guilty of contempt of court for his utterances against the magistrates. Rule 71 of the Rules of Civil Procedure gives courts the power to cite in direct or indirect contempt people or parties to a case. Section 3(d) of the rule states that "any improper conduct tending, directly or indirectly, to impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice" constitutes indirect contempt. The high court initially imposed a P100,000 fine on Jimenez, but the penalty was later reduced to P30,000. "The Rules of Civil Procedure state that the maximum fine that can be imposed is P30,000 or an imprisonment of six months, or both," explained SC spokesman and administrator Jose Midas Marquez earlier. He said the SC initially demanded a P100,000 fine “in lieu of imprisonment." But after finding merit in Jimenez’s appeal, the court decided to lower the penalty to P30,000 without imprisonment. — Sophia Dedace/RSJ, GMA News