What Went Before: Corona tax evasion case

Renato Corona. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—On August 30, 2012, the Bureau of Internal Revenue filed a P150-million tax evasion case against former Chief Justice Renato Corona, his daughter Maria Carla and her husband Constantino Castillo III.

The BIR complaint, filed in the Department of Justice, claimed that Corona owed the government P120.5 million in taxes, inclusive of surcharges and interests, from 2003 through 2010.

Corona allegedly undervalued three of his properties by P17.30 million, failed to declare two properties valued at P12.75 million and underdeclared his cash assets in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) with a cash underdeclaration reaching P134.44 million in 2010.

His daughter was sued in connection with a tax liability of P9.93 million, and his son-in-law, for P20.24 million.

The BIR said Carla failed to file her income tax return (ITR) in 2010 despite a substantial income that allowed her to acquire property worth P18.33 million in Quezon City, for which she paid documentary stamp taxes of P329,000.

She declared a cumulative income amounting to P228,040.00 in her ITR for 2008 and 2009.

Castillo declared an income of P1.93 million from 2005 to 2009 although he acquired a P15-million piece of property on Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City, in 2009.

The BIR also said Castillo failed to file his ITR for 2003 despite acquiring a P10.5-million property that year.

During the impeachment trial, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares testified that Carla had “very minimal income” and was “not capable of buying properties.”  The Corona camp said Carla is married to a doctor who has the means to buy the property. Inquirer Research

Source: Inquirer Archives