FACTS:
Private respondents were charged with falsification by private individuals and use of falsified document. After the prosecution had presented its evidence and rested its case, private respondents moved to dismiss the charge against them on the ground that the evidence presented was not sufficient to establish their guilt beyond reasonable ground. Respondent court dismissed the case principally on the ground that the acts committed do not constitute the crime of falsification as charged.
ISSUE(S):
Whether or not the reversal of the dismissal will place private respondents in double jeopardy.
HELD:
YES. It is true that the criminal case of falsification was dismissed on motion of the accused; however, this was a motion filed after the prosecution had rested its case, calling for an appreciation of the evidence adduced and its sufficiency to warrant conviction beyond reasonable doubt, resulting in a dismissal of the case on the merits, tantamount to an acquittal of the accused.
Petition is DISMISSED.
