A Bacolod Regional Trial Court judge has sentenced a secretary to 80 years imprisonment for the qualified theft of nearly P2 million from her employer.

RTC Judge Gorgonio Ybañez sentenced Dionela Villacastel to double reclusion perpetua that carries 40 year- prison terms each in a decision promulgated Wednesday.

Ernesto Divinagracia, owner of Bacolod Aries Parts and General Merchandising, filed the theft complaints against Villacastel who had been his secretary.

The judge said it is very clear from the evidence that over a period of three years and seven months, from January 1977 up to July 15, 2000, Villacastel who was in-charge of the banking transactions of Divinagracia at his store, took money in varying amounts that accumulated to nearly P2 million.

The judge noted that Villacastel took varying amounts of money once a week, by depositing in the current account of Divinagracia's store less than what she withdrew from the savings account, although she was supposed to deposit the exact amount she took from the savings account.

Villacastel being a trusted employee of Divinagracia acted in grave abuse of confidence, she being a trusted employee entrusted with all her employer's banking transactions, the judge said.

The qualifying circumstance of "grave abuse of confidence" being present in the case, the crime committed by Villacastel is qualified theft and the penalty is two degrees higher than that provided for simple theft, the judge added.

Ybanez in Criminal Case 01-21968 sentenced Villacastel to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua and to indemnify Divinagracia P1,132,736.57.

In Criminal Case 01-21969 Villacastel was also sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua and to pay Divinagracia P596,000 minus the amount she of P164,000 she already paid, Ybanez said.

The case was prosecuted by Gina Mirano Jesena, counsel for Divinagracia.*CPG

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