THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, a tax evasion case against dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.
BIR Commissioner Romeo “Jun” Lumagui filed the P500,000 tax evasion complaint against Guo before the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“Ito ay may kinalaman doon sa Baofu na corporation dahil kasi nakikita natin na sinabi niya na binenta daw niya ang shares niya dito sa korporasyon na ito,” Lumagui said in an interview after the filing of complaint.
(This pertains to the Baofu Corporation, as we see that he mentioned he sold his shares in this corporation.)
“At nakita natin din na hindi bayad ang buwis patungkol dito sa pagta-transfer ng shares niya na ito. Kaya malinaw na malinaw na may kasong tax evasion itong transaction na ito,” he added.
(And we also see that the taxes related to the transfer of his shares have not been paid. Therefore, it is clear that this transaction involves tax evasion.)
Also among the respondents were Jack Uy, who bought Guo’s shares, and Rachelle Joan Carreon, the Corporate Secretary of Baofu Land Development Inc.
Lumagui said among the penalties if found guilty of tax evasion includes imprisonment.
“Mabigat din ang parusa laban sa corporate secretary na hindi tinignan na bayad ang buwis. Kasi nasa batas yan na bago ka mag transfer ng shares sa corporate books at mag report sa SEC (Securities and Exchange Committee) ay dapat makita muna na bayad ang buwis,” he said.
(The penalty is also severe for the corporate secretary who failed to ensure that the taxes were paid. The law requires that before transferring shares in the corporate books and reporting to the SEC, it must first be verified that the taxes have been paid.)
Guo is currently in hiding following the issuance of an arrest order against her by the Senate for refusing to cooperate and appear in an ongoing investigation on the raided illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) in Bamban, Tarlac.
She is also facing human trafficking charges filed by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in relation to the raided Pogo hub.
On Tuesday, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Guo’s dismissal from the service after she was found guilty of grave misconduct in relation to her alleged involvement in the illegal Pogo.
She was meted the penalty of dismissal from the service with forfeiture of all her retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification to re-enter government service. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
