- Petitioner
- People
- Respondent
- Villate
- Citation
- G.R. No. 247625
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- Second Division
- Decided
- January 22, 2020
Summary
This criminal case involved Michael Villate y Galang's prosecution for illegal sale of dangerous drugs under RA 9165. During a July 3, 2013 buy-bust operation at UPLB, police seized 0.04 gram of shabu from accused-appellant. The RTC convicted him to life imprisonment and P500,000 fine, which the Court of Appeals affirmed. However, the Supreme Court reversed the conviction and acquitted accused-appellant due to fatal procedural violations in the chain of custody. The inventory was conducted without required witnesses from the DOJ and an elected public official, with only a media representative present. Photography was done separately at a different location without proper witnesses. The prosecution failed to justify these deviations or prove genuine efforts to secure required witnesses, compromising the integrity and evidentiary value of the seized drugs, which constitute the corpus delicti of the crime charged.