7/29/2019 Chan vs. Secretary of Justice

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[G.R. No. 147065, March 14, 2008]JUANITO CHAN y LIM, a.k.a. ZHANG ZHENTING, Petitioner, vs. SECRETARY OF JUSTICE, PABLO C. FORMARAN III andPRESIDENTIAL ANTI-ORGANIZED CRIME TASK FORCE, represented by PO3 DANILO L. SUMPAY, Respondents.

FACTS:

Police officers narrated through a Joint Affidavit of Arrest that their Confidential Informant (CI) reported to them that a certainJuanito Chan was engaged in the sale of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu

A buy-bust operation was organized and they apprehended Chan after he turned over to the poseur-buyer a small box containingone self-sealing transparent plastic bag of white crystalline substance in exchange for the 12 bundles of boodle money which hereceived from the poseur-buyer

the Chief of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) referred to the State Prosecutor for appropriate action th

evidence collected by the task force during a buy-bust operation against petitioner Chan

After preliminary investigation, State Prosecutor Pablo C. Formaran III issued a Resolution [6] dated June 17, 1999 recommendingthe filing of an Information against the petitioner

Petitioner requested a preliminary investigation and waived his rights under Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code

Chan submitted his Counter-Affidavit[5] denying the charges against him

After preliminary investigation, State Prosecutor Pablo C. Formaran III issued a Resolution recommending the filing of anInformation against the petitioner

State Prosecutor Formaran filed before the RTC an Information

petitioner filed a petition for review with the Secretary of the Department of Justice which denied the petition for review on theground that there was no reversible error in the investigating prosecutors finding of probable cause.

Petitioner insists that the Justice Secretary committed grave abuse of discretion when he affirmed the State Prosecutors finding probable cause, which was based solely on the Joint Affidavit of Arrest. He claims that the State Prosecutor ignored certain factsand circumstances which indicate that there was actually no buy-bust operation but an extortion attempt instead, and capriciousrelied on the presumption of regularity in the performance of the police officers duty

ISSUE: whether or not respondent Secretary of Justice erred in affirming the finding of probable cause of prosecutor

HELD: NO

Crespo dotrine does not bar the Justice Secretary from reviewing the findings of the investigating prosecutor in the exercise of h

power of control over his subordinates. The Justice Secretary is merely advised, as far as practicable, to refrain from entertainingpetition for review of the prosecutors finding when the Information is already filed in court. In other words, the power or authoritof the Justice Secretary to review the prosecutors findings subsists even after the Information is filed in court. The court, howevis not bound by the Resolution of the Justice Secretary, but must evaluate it before proceeding with the trial. While the ruling ofthe Justice Secretary is persuasive, it is not binding on courts

Albeit the findings of the Justice Secretary are not absolute and are subject to judicial review, this Court generally adheres to thepolicy of non-interference in the conduct of preliminary investigations, particularly when the said findings are well-supported bythe facts as established by the evidence on record.[22] Absent any showing of arbitrariness on the part of the prosecutor or anyother officer authorized to conduct preliminary investigation, courts as a rule must defer to said officers finding anddetermination of probable cause, since the determination of the existence of probable cause is the function of the prosecutor. [

Simply stated, findings of the Secretary of Justice are not subject to review, unless made with grave abuse of discretion.

The general rule is that the courts do not interfere with the discretion of the public prosecutor in determining the specificity andadequacy of the averments in a criminal complaint. The determination of probable cause for the purpose of filing an information court is an executive function which pertains at the first instance to the public prosecutor and then to the Secretary of Justice. Thduty of the Court in appropriate cases is merely to determine whether the executive determination was done without or in excesof jurisdiction or with grave abuse of discretion.

Thus, the findings of the Justice Secretary may be reviewed through a petition forcertiorari under Rule 65 based on theallegation that he acted with grave abuse of discretion

we hold that the Secretary of Justice did not commit grave abuse of discretion in affirming the finding of probable cause by theState Prosecutor

In the case at bench, petitioner is charged with illegal sale of a prohibited drug. A successful prosecution of this offenserequires the concurrence of the following elements: (1) the identity of the buyer and the seller, the object of the sale, anthe consideration; and (2) the delivery of the thing sold and the payment therefor.[31] To our mind, the documentary andobject evidence submitted to the State Prosecutor, particularly the Joint Affidavit of Arrest, the 935.80 grams of shabu,and the buy-bust money sufficiently establish the existence of probable cause against petitioner for the crime charged.After all, a finding of probable cause needs only to rest on evidence showing that, more likely than not, a crime has beecommitted by the suspect.[32]Unless there is a clear and convincing evidence that the members of the buy-bust teamwere impelled by any improper motive, or were not properly performing their duties, their testimonies on the operationdeserve full faith and credit.

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The allegation that the State Prosecutor was not impartial in conducting the preliminary investigation is merelyspeculative a bare allegation unworthy of credence. Such accusation is worthless in light of our finding that there is,indeed, probable cause against petitioner. Moreover, bias and partiality can never be presumed. Petitioners allegation frame-up and extortion is evidentiary in nature, and are matters for his defense