Caparas snubs DOJ hearing on tax evasion case

Controversial film and television director Carlo J. Caparas did not show up on Thursday at the first hearing on the multi-million tax evasion complaint filed against him by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) with the Department of Justice. Caparas’ lawyer, former government corporate counsel Manuel Lazaro, said the director was absent because he only saw a copy of the BIR’s complaint earlier in the day. “We did not file a counter-affidavit yet because we only saw the complaint today," Lazaro told reporters. The BIR filed the P540-million tax evasion complaint last October. Because of Caparas’ absence, Senior State Prosecutor Rosanne Balauag, the government prosecutor handling the complaint, reset the hearing to January 7, 2011. Balauag said when the DOJ sent Caparas a subpoena for Thursday's hearing, no one in his house wanted to receive it. She warned that if Caparas will not show up in the next hearing, it will be tantamount to a waiver of his right to submit his counter-affidavit. “The case will then be submitted for resolution," Balauag told reporters. P540-M tax liabilities unpaid Last October, the BIR required Caparas to pay P540 million in unpaid taxes, surcharges, and penalties for his alleged failure to file tax returns from 2006 to 2009. BIR investigation showed that Caparas received P850 million from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office as payment for the direction and production of various television programs. However, Caparas allegedly did not declare the income and pay the corresponding taxes. Caparas has earned the moniker “Massacre King" for his commercially successful movies about controversial real-life crimes. - KBK, GMANews.TV