Napoleses given more time to answer tax evasion raps
Janet Lim-Napoles. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Janet Lim-Napoles and her husband, Jaime, were given an extension up to Nov. 19 to answer a P61-million tax-evasion complaint filed against them by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) or else their case would be submitted for resolution without their having aired their side.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Edna Valenzuela, who heads the Department of Justice (DOJ) panel on top of the preliminary investigation of the tax evasion complaint, issued the warning after the couple’s lawyer, Francisco Tolentino, sought another extension for the submission of their counteraffidavits.
“That will be their last opportunity to submit their counteraffidavits,” said Valenzuela of the Nov. 19 deadline.
Tolentino’s appearance at Tuesday’s hearing was also questioned by Valenzuela, who asked if he had a written authority from the Napoleses considering that another lawyer had appeared in the first hearing on Oct. 21.
Tolentino said that he was sent by Jaime Napoles whom he talked to only on the phone.
Valenzuela gave Tolentino two days or until Nov. 7 to submit a written manifestation of his special appearance and written authority.
Valenzuela also asked Tolentino whether he was aware of the whereabouts of Napoles’ daughter, Jeane Catherine.
The lawyer said he was not aware of Jeane’s whereabouts and would ask her father.
Valenzuela said that Tuesday’s hearing by the panel was also the first for another tax-evasion complaint, this time filed by the BIR against Jeane for P32.06 million in tax liabilities.
The BIR said the Napoles daughter did not declare any income although she was able to acquire and register under her name real properties during taxable years 2011 and 2012. Among these properties were a Ritz Carlton condominium in the United States, which was acquired in 2011 for P54.73 million, and a farm in Bayambang, Pangasinan, in which she had a one-ninth share equivalent to P1.49 million and which was purchased in 2012.
The Napoles couple were sued by the BIR for tax evasion for taxable years 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and for deliberate failure to supply correct and accurate information in their income tax returns.
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