Manila - The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed one justice and suspended another for two months over a bribery scandal at the country's second highest court.

Court of Appeals Justice Vicente Roxas was dismissed after he was found guilty of grave misconduct, dishonesty, undue interest and conduct prejudicial to the interest of service.

Associate Justice Jose Sabio was suspended for two months for misconduct and conduct unbecoming, while three justices were reprimanded for not taking appropriate action.

"This is a wake-up call for all our justices," Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez told reporters in announcing the high tribunal's decision.

The scandal stemmed from Sabio's revelation in July that he was offered a 10-million-peso (217,390-dollar) bribe during deliberations over a corporate takeover battle.

The court had blocked an attempt by state pension fund Government Service Insurance Sytem (GSIS) to wrest control of utilities firm Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

Sabio alleged that a lawyer working for Meralco had offered the bribe to ensure that the company will win when the Court of Appeals hands down a final decision on its case against GSIS.

Roxas was dismissed for writing a ruling on the petition without conducting proper deliberations and consultations with other Court of Appeals justices.

He was also found to have been dishonest when he offered fabricated transcripts of deliberations to a review panel investigating the bribery scandal.

"The fabrications and falsehoods ... demonstrated that he lacks the qualification of integrity and honesty expected of a magistrate and a member of the appellate court," the Supreme Court said.

The Berlin-based Transparency International has ranked the Philippines as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. (dpa)