Sandiganbayan upholds conviction of Nueva Vizcaya disbursing officer

The Sandiganbayan has upheld the conviction of Jocelyn D. Tuzon, a disbursing officer from Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, for malversation of public funds.

Tuzon's conviction was affirmed because her appeal was initially filed with the Court of Appeals instead of the Sandiganbayan, causing her to miss the deadline for a proper appeal.

The Sandiganbayan explained that it has appellate jurisdiction over cases from the regional trial court (RTC), but this jurisdiction was not applicable to Tuzon's case due to the misplaced initial appeal.

Consequently, Tuzon's appeal was deemed to be outside the allowable 15-day period, preventing the Sandiganbayan from reviewing the original decision.

The Nueva Vizcaya RTC had found Tuzon guilty, sentencing her to imprisonment, disqualification from public office, and a fine of P976,696.96.

Tuzon filed her appeal with the Court of Appeals on November 21, 2022, and the records were forwarded to the CA on January 30, 2023.

The Court of Appeals then endorsed the appeal to the Sandiganbayan on August 15, 2023, with the records being transmitted on September 8, 2023.