A former officer of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will serve a year in prison for estafa after jumping bail and losing her chance to appeal her conviction.
In a resolution dated July 15, 2025, the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division denied the Motion for Reconsideration with Motion to Post Bail filed by defendant Veronica Carpio, former chief of the Taxpayers Service Division for BIR Revenue District Office No. 38 in Quezon City.
The ruling likewise upheld the one-year prison sentence imposed on the accused by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 87 with an order to pay private complainant Evangelina Magleo P125,000 in actual damages with 12 percent legal interest imposed from December 29, 2011 to June 30, 2013 and six percent from July 1, 2013 until finality of the decision and full satisfaction.
The estafa case filed by Magleo alleged that Carpio hoodwinked her into paying P125,000 in 2005 on a promise that the BIR officer would use her connections and influence at the Registry of Deeds of Quezon City to facilitate the transfer of ownership of a QC property in her name.
On September 18, 2023, the QC RTC rendered a decision declaring Carpio guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the crime of estafa and sentencing her to one year imprisonment with a directive to pay back Magleo the P125,000 in cash.
However, the accused did not appear during the promulgation despite notification from the court.
Carpio assailed the RTC ruling before the Sandiganbayan, arguing that she was denied due process when she was deprived of the chance to offer additional evidence and claiming the prosecution’s evidence failed to overcome the presumption of innocence.
She added that she was unaware that an arrest warrant had been issued against her and was only informed when she received a copy of the RTC’s decision on her conviction.
The defendant likewise invoked good faith, believing that the RTC decision had not yet attained finality after her notice of appeal was accepted. She pointed out that the notice of appeal should have been denied outright if she was deemed to have jumped bail.
In its resolution, the Sandiganbayan denied both the Motion for Reconsideration and the request for bail.
“After a judicious review of the arguments raised, this Court finds the motion for reconsideration devoid of merit, considering that it raises no new matters, and presents no new issues which have not already been thoroughly considered and passed upon by this Court,” the anti-graft court said.
It pointed out that a motion for reconsideration grounded on rehashed arguments may be denied summarily as it would be a “useless ritual” to reiterate the same ruling.
“As to the motion for bail, the Court finds the same to be likewise unmeritorious. It bears emphasis that the Court has already made a categorical finding that Carpio jumped bail. Her invocation of good faith and alleged lack of knowledge of the promulgation date was squarely passed upon and rejected in the May 26, 2025 decision,” the Sandiganbayan added.
