Judge Alexander Balut of the Philippines; thieving Dumbo

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct found Teresa guilty of the following misconduct.

In mid-2015, the Philippine Supreme Court found Judge Balut guilty of the following misconduct

• Failed to exhibit high degree of honesty and integrity
• Failed to exhibit exacting standards of competence (Dumbo)
• Engaged in gross misconduct
• Repeatedly made withdrawals of cash from court’s collections
• Deliberately made his clerks of court violate circulars on proper administration of court funds
• Misappropriated (stole) court funds
• Engaged in conduct involving fraud, deceit, dishonesty or misrepresentation

As one would suspect, this wasn’t Judge Balut’s First bite at the Judicial Misfit Apple Tree. He previously received a complimentary reprimand for engaging in a variety of misconduct.

As a consequence of his misconduct, the Phillipine Supreme Court ordered that Balut be removed from his judicial office. Moreover, the removal came with the “forfeiture of all retirement benefits” and lifetime prohibition for reemployment with any branch of the government.