CARPIO

The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) that dismissed the murder charges filed against Luisito Q. Gonzales, grandson of the late former President Elpidio Quirino and husband of singer Kuh Ledesma, for the 2007 death of Federico Delgado.

With the ruling contained in the decision written by Justice Antonio T. Carpio, the SC also cleared driver Antonio T. Buenaflor of the murder charges and less serious physical injuries filed against him and Gonzales by the Department of Justice (DoJ).

Gonzales is the step-brother of the deceased Delgado, while Buenaflor is a former driver of Citadel Corp., a firm owned by the Delgado family.

The SC decision dismissed the petition filed by the heirs of Delgado and Annalisa Pesico as it affirmed the 2008 CA decision with a ruling that the petitioners have no legal standing to file the petition.

“We reiterate that it is only the Solicitor General who may bring or defend actions on behalf of the State in all criminal proceedings before the appellate courts. Hence, the Solicitor General’s non-filing of a petition within the reglementary period before this Court rendered the assailed decision of the Court of Appeals final and executory with respect to the criminal aspect of the case. The Solicitor General cannot trifle with court proceedings by refusing to file a petition for review only to subsequently, after the lapse of the reglementary period and finality of the Amended Decision, file a comment,” the SC stressed.