De Lima raps Ligots for evading arrest

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima

MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Wednesday said former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot and his wife Erlinda may be held criminally liable for evading arrest.

De Lima made the statement after the couple posted bail at the Court of Tax Appeals in Quezon City in connection with a tax evasion case.

The Ligots reportedly went into hiding on Friday after the tax court ordered their arrest for a P153-million tax suit filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

De Lima said she has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to submit a report on the purported disappearance of the Ligots.

“I will await the report from the NBI before determining any such liability for evading arrest,” De Lima said.

“It would depend on such facts or circumstances as knowledge of existence of arrest warrant and intention to evade,” she added.

De Lima said she ordered Prosecutor General Claro Arellano to file with the CTA within the day an application for the issuance of a hold departure order against the Ligot couple.

“Since they’re entitled to provisional liberty pending the proceedings, you can never tell [if they would leave the country]. That’s why we want to be on the side of caution,” she told reporters.