Ex-AFP comptroller ordered arrested for tax evasion

MANILA, Philippines­—The Court of Tax Appeals on Friday ordered the arrest of former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comptroller Jacinto Ligot and his wife, Erlinda, for alleged tax evasion.

The court’s second division issued the warrant of arrest after it found probable cause in the case filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue against the couple.

The filing of the tax evasion case has earlier been approved by the Department of Justice .

Based on the resolution written by Assistant State Prosecutor Stewart Allan Mariano and approved by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, the Ligot couple is facing one count of violation of Article 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) for failure to file a tax return in 2001 and three counts of violation of Article 254 of the same law for an attempt to evade payment of tax from 2002 to 2004.

Jacinto Ligot has been subjected to various investigations after former military budget officer George Rabusa accused him of involvement in alleged military fund scams.

Ligot is the second ranking military officer slapped with a case for tax evasion. The first is another former military comptroller, Carlos F. Garcia.