BIR files tax evasion complaint vs Guo and others

INQUIRER FILES / Noy Morcoso

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has filed a tax evasion complaint against dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, and others before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Representatives from the BIR, along with Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. personally appeared at the DOJ Justice Hall on Wednesday and filed criminal complaints against Guo, Jack Uy, and Rachelle Joan Malonzo Carreon, the Corporate Secretary of Baofu Land Development Inc. (Baofu).

READ: Ombudsman orders dismissal of Alice Guo over Pogo links

In an interview, Lumagui said the criminal complaint follows Guo’s admission that she transferred her shares in Baofu to Uy. The investigation also showed that no Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and Documentary Stamp Tax (DST) returns were filed and paid in relation to this transfer.

The three will be facing criminal complaints for violating the Tax Code’s (National Internal Revenue Code of 1997) Section 254  (Attempt to Evade or Defeat Tax), Section 255 (Failure to File CGT and DST Returns), and Section 250 – Failure to File/Supply Certain Information (the latter charge is exclusive to Carreon).

In a separate statement, the BIR said it is currently auditing the entire business operations of Guo, in relation to the Senate hearings on her alleged ties to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) in her town.

“Due process will be given to Guo, however, if she fails to pay her tax deficiencies, the BIR will proceed to file another criminal case for tax evasion,” it added.

On Tuesday, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal from service of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo after it found her guilty of grave misconduct, which merited “dismissal from service with forfeiture of all her retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification to re-enter government service.”

READ: Villanueva: If Guo is Filipino, why allow illegal activities in Bamban?

Meanwhile, Municipal Business Permits and Licensing Office officer Edwin Campo and Municipal Legal Officer Adenn Sigua, along with 10 Bamban officials, were found guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service, resulting in a suspension of three months.

Before her dismissal, the Ombudsman ordered the suspension of Guo following complaints filed by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

According to Ombudsman Samuel Martires, there are “sufficient grounds to preventively suspend” Guo and two other town officials “considering: that there is strong evidence showing their guilt.”

The DILG’s seven-man task force also reported “troubling findings of serious illegal acts which may have severe legal implications,” related to Guo and her alleged connection to illegal Pogo activities in Bamban.

In June, the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission also filed a qualified human trafficking case against Guo for her alleged connection to the labor trafficking of around 500 foreign Pogo workers.

Moreover, the Senate panel on women probing into Guo’s supposed ties with Pogo also cited her and others for contempt and ordered their arrest for skipping the chamber’s hearing on the case.