Supreme Court affirms acquittal of Quirino grandson

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the acquittal of Luisito Quirino Gonzales, grandson of the late former President Elpidio Quirino and former husband of celebrity singer Kuh Ledesma for the 2007 death of businessmanFederico Delgado.

His co-accused, driver Antonio Buenaflor, was also acquitted.

In a resolution issued by the first division, the SC said all issues raised in the motion for reconsideration (MR) filed by the heirs of Delgado had been passed upon by the court.

It added that no substantial arguments were raised to warrant the reversal of the ruling.

The Aug. 7 decision, written by Justice Antonio Carpio, also dismissed the murder charges against Buenaflor, as well as the less serious physical injuries filed against him and Gonzales by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Gonzales is the stepbrother of the deceased Delgado, while Buenaflor is a former driver of Citadel Corp., a company owned by the Delgado family.

The High Court’s decision dismissed the petition filed by the heirs of Delgado and his girlfriend, Annalisa Pesico.

It also affirmed the 2008 Court of Appeals decision clearing them of all the charges.

On the other hand, the Delgados said they were denied due process first when the acting city prosecutor of Manila ruled that there was no probable cause to suspect that Gonzalez and Buenaflor were the ones who stabbed Delgado and attacked Pesico in his residence in the Mayflower Building in Malate, Manila on March 11, 2007.

Meanwhile, the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) yesterday gave the prosecution three more working days, or until Monday, to file a comment on the motion of the lawyers of Gonzales for their client’s immediate release after the SC dismissed the charges.   – Sandy Araneta