Sandiganbayan Upholds Sentence for Former BIR Official
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has denied the motion for reconsideration and bail filed by Veronica Carpio, a former Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) official, who was sentenced to one year in prison. The antigraft court’s Fourth Division ruled against her appeal, citing her failure to attend trial and stating that her claims had been previously addressed.
Carpio, once head of the Taxpayers Service Division in northern Quezon City’s revenue district office, challenged the Sandiganbayan’s May 26 decision that affirmed her estafa conviction handed down by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 87.
Details of Carpio’s Conviction and Sentence
The Quezon City RTC sentenced Carpio to one year imprisonment. However, the Sandiganbayan adjusted the sentence to include the payment of damages with a 12-percent legal interest from December 29, 2011, to June 30, 2013, and a 6-percent interest from July 1, 2013, until the decision becomes final and fully satisfied, sources said.
Prosecutors revealed that Carpio promised to use her connections at the Quezon City Registry of Deeds to facilitate a property transfer and obtain a new land title for a complainant in exchange for P125,000, according to court records.
Sandiganbayan Finds No Merit in Bail Plea
In her recent motion, Carpio claimed she was denied due process since she was not allowed to present evidence, and argued that the prosecution failed to prove estafa elements against her. She also requested bail, stating she was unaware of any arrest warrant and only learned of the case after receiving the RTC’s decision copy.
Despite these claims, the Sandiganbayan dismissed her arguments as lacking merit and noted they raised no new issues beyond previous rulings. “A motion for reconsideration grounded on arguments already submitted to the Court and found to be without merit may be denied summarily, as it would be a useless ritual for this Court to reiterate itself,” the court said.
The court reaffirmed that Carpio had indeed skipped bail. Her assertion of good faith was reviewed and rejected in earlier decisions, local leaders noted.
Final Resolution and Court Officials
The resolution was signed by Associate Justices Michael Frederick Musngi and Lorifel Pahimna. Associate Justice J. Ermin Ernest Louie Miguel authored the ruling.
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