MANILA, Philippines?A veteran tax consultant was arrested Thursday for perjury raps filed against him by a regional executive of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Tax consultant Emelino T. Maestro was nabbed at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza hotel while he was giving a lecture on how to file a complaint against erring BIR officials before the Ombudsman, the BIR said in a statement.

The arrest warrant was based on criminal charges filed by lawyer Jose Ric A. Cabrera, chief of the legal division at BIR Revenue Region No. 7 in Quezon City.

Ironically, Cabrera alleged that Maestro attempted to discredit him when the latter had filed a ?false and baseless? complaint against the former before the Office of the Ombudsman.

The warrant was issued by Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Judge Juris S. Dilinila-Callanta, who set the bail at P6,000, the BIR statement said.