The Department of Justice (DoJ) has adopted a higher standard for the filing of criminal cases, requiring prosecutors to establish prima facie evidence with a reasonable certainty of conviction before charges are brought to court.

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said the policy marks a departure from the traditional standard of probable cause and is intended to ensure that prosecutors are fully prepared for trial before an information is filed.

“We want our prosecutors to be trial ready. By the time a case reaches the courts, the evidence should be complete,” Vida said.

Under the new policy, the DoJ will shift its measure of the performance of prosecutors, placing greater emphasis on successful prosecutions and the speedy resolution of cases rather than the number of complaints filed.

Vida said the department will focus on securing convictions, plea bargains, compromises, and other fair case resolutions that deliver justice to victims while upholding the rights of the accused.

He said the stricter evidentiary standard is intended to prevent the filing of weak, baseless, or malicious complaints designed to merely harass individuals.

Cases involving purely civil disputes or unsupported allegations will be screened out before reaching the courts, allowing prosecutors and judges to focus on cases backed by sufficient evidence, Vida said.

He said the policy is expected to decongest court dockets and hasten the resolution of criminal cases by ensuring that only well-prepared prosecutions proceed to trial.

The reform will be supported by closer coordination between prosecutors and law enforcement agencies during case build-up to ensure that the evidence is complete before charges are filed.

Vida said the department’s goal is to improve the quality of prosecutions and strengthen public confidence in the criminal justice system by ensuring that cases filed in court have a reasonable likelihood of conviction.