Sandigan junks former cop’s AK-47 rifle case appeal
‘Accused Acierto is, thus, deemed to have lost the remedies against the judgment available under the Rules of Court.’
‘Accused Acierto is, thus, deemed to have lost the remedies against the judgment available under the Rules of Court.’
The Sandiganbayan has rejected an appeal from a former high-ranking police official seeking to overturn his graft conviction in a 2013 high-powered rifle scam, citing his failure to appear in court.
In a resolution dated 14 January, the court’s Sixth Division ruled that former Senior Superintendent Eduardo Acierto forfeited his right to legal remedies after he was a “no-show” during the promulgation of judgment on 5 December 2025.
The anti-graft court found that Acierto, the former chief of the Firearms and Licensing Division, failed to appear “without justifiable cause.”
Under court rules, defendants who miss their sentencing without a valid reason lose their standing to appeal the decision and can face immediate arrest.
While the law provides a 15-day window for an accused individual to surrender and explain an absence, the court found Acierto’s arguments insufficient.
Court records cited that while a notice was not personally delivered to Acierto because his recorded address was vacant, his lawyer received the document, satisfying legal requirements.
“Accused Acierto is, thus, deemed to have lost the remedies against the judgment available under the Rules of Court,” the resolution stated.
To recall, Acierto was found guilty of 11 counts of graft related to the illegal approval of firearms licenses for AK-47 rifles between 2011 and 2013. The broader investigation involved 1,004 rifles licensed by the Philippine National Police that were allegedly sold to the New People’s Army.
The Ombudsman, which filed the case in 2015, found that police officials provided unwarranted benefits to four private firms by approving licenses for more than 100 rifles despite incomplete or falsified documentation.
Acierto was among several officials charged in the scheme. Former Firearms and Explosives Office chief retired Brig. Gen. Raul Petrasanta was previously found guilty of 15 counts of graft as the principal accused in the case.
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