The Court of Tax Appeals on Wednesday decided to hold in abeyance its ruling on the bid to lift the bench warrant issued against Tyrone Ong and Arlene Chua in the June 2014 tax evasion case filed against them by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
A bench warrant was issued against Ong and Chua after the two failed to appear in their arraignment early this month.
READ: Bench warrant issued vs supplier in PNP armored vehicle scam
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 that Enviroaire “substantially underdeclared its sales by 89.1094 percent.”
“The resolution on the Urgent Motion to Lift Bench Warrant and Ex-Parte Motion to Post Bail Ad Cautelam filed by both accused are held in abeyance,” the Tax Court said in a resolution promulgated April 20.
At the same time, the tax court allowed lawyers of both accused access to the records of the case from the time it was filed last June 10, 2014.
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. RAM
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