Bench warrant issued vs supplier in PNP armored vehicle scam
The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) issued a bench warrant on Thursday against Tyrone Ong for his failure to appear for his arraignment in the June 2014 tax evasion case filed against him by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
A bench warrant is an order issued by a judge to a law enforcement officer for the arrest of a person held in contempt, disobeyed a subpoena or failed to attend a trial.
During his scheduled arraignment, Ong’s counsel said he was taken to a hospital in the morning due to severe dizziness.
“Up to this moment,” Associate Justice Esperanza Fabon-Victorino asked to which Ong’s counsel said “yes.”
“Very calculated,” Victorino said, adding that “this case was filed June 2014 and the accused is still not arraigned.”
Ong’s counsel said there was no intention to delay the proceedings.
“It does not appear to be so,” Victorino said.
“We appeal for your compassion and reset the arraignment for the last time,” Ong’s counsel said.
The Tax Court agreed to reset the hearing, however, it required Ong’s counsel to produce not only a medical certificate of Ong but also the result of all the examination he has to undergo after suffering severe dizziness.
“We will issue a bench warrant and the bail is forfeited in favor of the government,” Victorino said. Ong’s bail was P300,000.
Aside from Ong, a bench warrant was also issued for his co-accused Arlene Chua.
Both Ong and Chua are facing tax evasion cases for failure to pay over P183-million in taxes.
They were charged with tax evasion after the Commission on Audit ordered the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to check if their company Enviroaire declared P85.18 million and P140.53 million in its gross sales. The two amounts accounted for spare parts and maintenance of Light Armored Vehicles purchased by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
After its investigation, the BIR claimed it found out Enviroaire “substantially underdeclared its sales by 89.1094 percent.”
Ong, business partner of Cedric Lee, is facing a separate case for graft and malversation before the Sandiganbayan for the P385-million “ghost” repairs and maintenance of the V-150 armored vehicles of the PNP in 2007.
He was also implicated in the ambush try of National Bureau of Investigation Director Reynaldo Esmeralda in 2012. RAM
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