Section 17Sec./Art. 17

Special Term of Prosecutors. - To assist the Council in the expeditious prosecution of criminal cases covered under this Act, the Secretary of the DOJ is hereby mandated to constitute a special team of prosecutors all over the country, which shall have the following powers and duties, among others:

(a) Evaluate evidence gathered and submitted by the Enforcement Group to determine whether any provision of this Act has been violated:

(b) Act on criminal complaints directly filed by persons under Section 21 of this Act, which may be consolidated with similar complaints filed by the Enforcement Group; and

(c) Initiate and conduct preliminary investigation and timely file and prosecute the appropriate criminal charges against the person/s responsible for the crimes of smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and cartel as economic sabotage and other prohibited acts under this Act.