Amendment or Substitution Of Complaint

Sec.  14. Amendment or substitution. – A complaint or information may be amended, in form or in substance, without leave of court at any  time  before  the  accused  enters  his  plea.    After  the  plea  and during the trial, a formal amendment may only be made with leave of court and and when it can be done without causing prejudice to the rights of the accused.
 
However,  any  amendment  before  plea,  which  downgrades  the nature of the offense charged in or excludes any accused from the complaint  or  information,  can  be  made  only  upon  motion  by  the prosecutor,  with  notice  to  the  offended  party  and  with  leave  of court. The court shall state its reasons in resolving the motion and copies  of  its  order  shall  be  furnished  all  parties,  especially  the offended party.
 
If it appears at anytime before judgment that a mistake has been made  in  charging  the  proper  offense,  the  court  shall  dismiss  the original  complaint  or  information  upon  the  filing  of  a  new  one charging  the  proper  offense  in  accordance  with  section  19,  Rule 119, provided the accused shall not be placed in double jeopardy. The   court   may   require   the   witnesses   to   give   bail   for   their
appearance at the trial.

WHEN CAN A COMPLAINT OR INFORMATION BE AMENDED?

> General  rule:  Before  plea,  a  complaint  or  information  can  be amended in form or in substance without leave of court

> Exception: if the amendment will downgrade the offense or drop an accused from the complaint or information.  In such case, the following requisites shall be observed:
1.    The amendment must be made upon motion of the prosecutor
2.    With notice to the offended party
3.    With leave of court
4.    The court must state its reason in resolving the motion
5.    Copies  of  the  resolution  should  be  furnished  all  parties, especially the offended party

> After plea, only FORMAL AMENDMENTS may be made but with the
leave of court and when it can be done without causing prejudice
to the rights of the accused
 

WHEN CAN A COMPLAINT OR INFORMATION BE SUBSTITUTED?

A complaint or information may be substituted if:  
1.    At any time before judgment it appears that a mistake has been made in charging the proper offense, and

2.    The accused cannot be convicted of the offense charged or of any other offense necessarily included therein

3.    Provided that he will not be placed in double jeopardy
 

WHEN ARE THE RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED MAY BE PREJUDICED BY AN AMENDMENT?

The  rights  of  the  accused  may  be  prejudiced  by  an  amendment  in  the following circumstances:
1.    When  the  defense  which  he  had  under  the  original  information would no longer be available
2.    When  any  evidence  which  he  had  under  the  original  information would no longer be available
3.    When  any  evidence  which  he  had  under  the  original  information would no longer be applicable to the amended information
 

WHAT ARE SUBSTANTIAL AMENDMENTS?

> Amendments involving the recital of facts constituting the offense and determinative of the jurisdiction of the court
> All other matters are merely of form
> After plea, substantial amendments are prohibited
 

WHEN CAN THERE BE AN AMENDMENT?

> BEFORE PLEA, a complaint or information can be amended in form or in substance  without leave of court, except if the amendment will downgrade the offense or drop an accused from the complaint or information.  In such a case, the following requisites must be observed: 
1. Must be made upon motion of the prosecutor 
2. With notice to the offended party 
3. With leave of court 
4. The court must state its reason in resolving the motion 
5.  Copies  of  the  resolution  should  be  furnished  all  parties, especially the offended party 
 
> AFTER  PLEA,  only  formal  amendments  may  be  made  only  with leave of court and when it can be done without  causing prejudice to the rights of the accused.
 

WHAT IS A SUBSTITUTION?

> A  complaint  or  information  may  be  substituted  if  at  any  time before  judgment,  it  appears  that  a  mistake  has  been  made  in charging the proper offense, and the accused cannot be convicted
of the offense charged or of any other offense necessarily included therein, provided that he will not be placed in double jeopardy. 

WHAT  ARE  THE  DISTINCTIONS  BETWEEN  AN  AMENDMENT  AND  A SUBSTITUTION?

1.  Amendment  may  involve  either  formal  or  substantial  changes,  while substitution necessarily involves a substantial change. 
2.  Amendment  before  plea  can  be  effected  without  leave  of  court,  but substitution  is  always  done  with  leave  of  court  since  it  involves  the dismissal of the original complaint. 
3.  Where  the  amendment  is  only  as  to  form,  there  is  no need  for  a  new preliminary  investigation  or  plea;  in  substitution,  another  preliminary investigation and plea is required. 
4. An amended information refers to the same offense charged or to one, which necessarily includes or is necessarily included in the original charge, hence  substantial  amendments  after  plea  cannot  be  made  over  the objection of the accused.  Substitution requires that the new information is for a different offense which does not include or is not necessarily included in the original charge.

WHAT  IS  THE  TEST  TO  DETERMINE  IF  WHAT  IS  NEEDED  IS AMENDMENT OR SUBSTITUTION?

> Whether  the  new  offense  necessarily  includes  or  is  necessarily included  in  the  original  charge,  or  is  an  attempt  to  commit  the same or frustration thereof
 

IS THERE A NEED FOR SUBSTITUTION OR AMENDMENT WHEN THE ORIGINAL  CRIME  CHARGED  IS  ROBBERY  BUT  IT  WAS  LATER FOUND OUT THAT THE CRIME SHOULD BE THEFT?

> No since theft and robbery are similar in their elements, it is only the existence of certain aggravating or qualifying circumstances in robbery that makes the difference