Case Digest (G.R. No. L-6130)
Facts:
Pueblo de Filipinas v. Juez Caluag et al., G.R. No. L-6130, promulgated February 26, 1954, the Supreme Court En Banc, Diokno, J., writing for the Court. The prosecution alleged that private respondents Wilson and Pascual, together with four co-accused public employees (a superintendent, a storekeeper/bodeguero, an auditor and a guard) at the North Base X, Engineering Depot 14 of the Surplus Property Commission in Quezon City, conspired to misappropriate public property valued at P100,745.33 by bribing the public officials and fraudulently altering an invoice in favor of one of the private respondents to effect extraction of goods.A trial was instituted in the Court of First Instance (Juzgado de Primera Instancia). The trial court granted motions to dismiss (sobreseimiento) insofar as Wilson and Pascual were concerned, and dismissed the case against them with costs of office. The People (Pueblo de Filipinas) challenged those orders. The record shows the interim provincial fiscal received a telegram on June 30, 1952 instructing him to go to Bacolod; he left July 1, returned July 5, and only learned of the questioned order on July 7, 1952. The People sought review in this Court (G.R. No. L-6130), invoking the Court’s supervisory jurisdiction to set aside the trial court’s dismissal despite the availability of an ordinary appeal remedy...(Subscriber-Only)
Issues:
- May the Supreme Court review and set aside the trial court's orders of dismissal despite the People's delay or failure to prosecute an ordinary appeal?
- Were private respondents Wilson and Pascual criminally liable as principals for the complex offense of misappropriating public property by conspiring with public officers, bribing them, and fraud...(Subscriber-Only)
Ruling:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Ratio:
- (Subscriber-Only)
Doctrine:
- (Subscriber-Only)