Republic vs. Gimenez and Gimenez Summary

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, PETITIONER, VS. FE ROA GIMENEZ AND IGNACIO B. GIMENEZ, RESPONDENTS.

G.R. No. 174673 | 2016-01-11

Demurrer to evidence in criminal cases; general rule is that the grant of a demurrer to evidence operates as an acquittal, is final and unappealable, any further prosecution of the accused would amount to double jeopardy
Violations of R.A. No. 1379 under the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan, even though the proceeding is civil in nature, since the forfeiture of the illegally acquired property amounts to a penalty
Violations of R.A. No. 1379, all that has to be determined is the disproportion of public official's properties to his legitimate income, unnecessary to prove how he acquired said properties
Any document or object that was marked for identification is not evidence unless it was formally offered and the opposing counsel was given an opportunity to object to it or cross-examine the witness called upon to prove or identify it
Audited financial statements are generally private documents, however, once filed with a government office pursuant to a provision of law, they become public documents

D E C I S I O N

LEONEN, J.:

Rules of procedure are not ends in themselves. The object of these rules is to assist and facilitate a trial court's function to be able to receive all the evidence of the parties, and evaluate their admissibility and probative value in the context of the issues presented by the parties' pleadings in order to arrive at a conclusion as to the facts that transpired. Having been able to establish the facts, the trial court will then be able to apply the law and determine whether a complainant is deserving of the reliefs prayed for in the pleading.

Dismissal on the basis of a very strict...