G.R. No. 35681 ; October 18, 1932
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, plaintiff-appellee, vs. TEODORO I. LOCSON, defendant-appellant.

FACTS

Teodoro I. Locson, the receiving teller of the Zamboanga branch of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, was charged with qualified theft of P33,965.45 from the bank. On June 7, 1930, after the cashier verified and instructed him to place the day’s collections (“pico”) totaling P48,461.58 into a money box and sack for deposit in the vault, Locson, assisted by the janitor, carried them to the vault. The vault was subsequently locked. The next day, a Sunday, Locson entered the bank alone, sent the janitor on an errand, and later left with a bundle wrapped in sacks tied to his bicycle. He transported this bundle to his home via a calesa. When the vault was opened on Monday, the money box and sack were found empty. Circumstantial evidence pointed to Locson as the perpetrator.

ISSUE

Whether the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of qualified theft.

RULING

Yes. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction for qualified theft. The circumstantial evidence—including Locson’s exclusive opportunity to access the vault area on Sunday, his suspicious conduct in removing a bundle from the bank, and his transportation of that bundle to his home—formed an unbroken chain leading to the reasonable and moral certainty that he took the money. The Court rejected the defense’s theory that the money was never placed in the vault, finding the cashier’s verification credible. The crime constituted qualified theft due to Locson’s position as a bank employee and the grave abuse of confidence inherent in the act. The penalty imposed by the trial court was affirmed.

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