Ex-BIR official convicted of estafa, denied bail

A former Bureau of Internal Revenue officer convicted of estafa was denied bail by the Sandiganbayan after a no-show in the promulgation of judgment despite due notice from the court.

Veronica Santiago Carpio, ex-chief of the Taxpayers Service Division for BIR Revenue District Office No. 38 in Quezon City, sought the reversal of the Sandiganbayan’s decision dated 26 May, which affirmed Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 87’s ruling finding her guilty of estafa. 

She was accused of demanding P125,000 from Evangelina Magleo, who sued her in the Ombudsman, in exchange for transferring a land title to the latter’s name in 2005.

However, the anti-graft court denied her appeal to challenge the decision and to post bail. The Sandiganbayan affirmed its May decision that Carpio had already effectively waived her right to appeal when she jumped bail for her unjust absence during the promulgation in the RTC. 

Her no-show rendered the RTC’s decision final and executory. 

Carpio claimed ignorance of the arrest warrant and said she was only informed when she received the RTC's decision on her conviction.

But the Sandiganbayan said her motions were “devoid of merit” and that her arguments were a mere rehash of a previous rejected appeal.

“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 resolution read.

“Entertaining the present motion would amount to impermissible reconsideration of that settled factual conclusion,” it added.

Aside from eestafa, Carpio was also convicted of up to 12 years for graft in a separate case involving over P9.4 million in alleged extracted money supposedly intended to settle an estate tax for a land property transfer.