BIR files P150-M tax evasion raps vs Corona, daughter, son-in-law

(Updated 1:25 p.m.) - The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed a P150.68 million tax evasion case against ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona, his daughter Carla Corona-Castillo, and her husband Constantino Castillo III.

 

BIR chief Kim Henares announced at a press conference that the ousted chief magistrate was charged for allegedly attempting to avoid payment of tax liabilities, in violation of Section 254 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997. Corona was also accused of failing to file returns, and supply correct and accurate tax information in violation of Section 255 of the NIRC for the years 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010.

 

A BIR investigation showed that Corona failed to declare on his statement of assets and liabilities (SALN) a condominium unit at The Columns along Ayala Avenue bought for P3.6 million in 2004, and a property in Fort Bonifacio worth P9.16 million in 2005, Henares said.

 

"The BIR also discovered a substantial disparity between the acquisition cost of the properties declared in his SALNs with that in the certificates authorizing registrations," she added.

 

The BIR computed Corona's tax deficiency to reach an estimated P120.5 million for the nine years he was in public office. Persecution? Reached for his comments, Corona vowed to abide by the legal processes but lamented that his family's 'persecution' has not stopped. "As a man of the law, I will abide by the processes. We await the service of the subpoena and the complaint. We will respond accordingly with the assistance of counsel we will engage. Castillo couple

 

Corona's daughter was charged for allegedly also violating Section 254 and Section 255 of the NIRC in 2010. The BIR said Carla only filed tax returns for 2008 and 2009, where she declared a total income of P228,040.

 

Carla's husband, meanwhile, was charged for evading taxes in 2003 and 2009, and failing to file a tax return in 2003.

  

The BIR said Castillo first registered with the BIR in 1998, but only filed income tax returns from 2005 to 2009. He declared a total income of only P1.933 million for those five years.

 

Despite the couple's total declared income amounting to P3 million, the BIR said they were able to acquire three properties: a P10.5-million property in Project 3, Quezon City; a P15-million commercial property on Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City; and an P18-million mansion in La Vista, Quezon City.

 

The BIR computed the couple's income tax deficiency at more than P30 million: P20.25 million for Mr. Castillo, and P9.93 million for Carla. Carla's BGEI shares

 

During his impeachment trial earlier this year, the camp of Corona claimed that Carla bought nearly all the shares of stock in Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc., the company owned by the family of the chief magistrate's wife Cristina.

 

Sheriff Joseph Bisnar of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 216, during one of the impeachment hearings in May, said he implemented a writ of execution in April 2003 to collect P500,000 in damages awarded by the court to Cristina, who won a libel case against her relatives and stockholders in BGEI, including her aunt Raymunda G. Basa and uncle Jose Ma. Basa III.

 

Bisnar said he posted on the bulletin board a notice of public auction of BGEI and conducted the bidding on September 30, 2003.

 

The chief magistrate's daughter Carla was the lone bidder and bought the 4,839 shares of Jose and Raymunda equivalent to 90.87 percent of BGEI for P28,000, the sheriff said.

 

Bisnar claimed he was not aware that Jose Basa III died eight months earlier, in August 2002, when he implemented the writ of execution. 

 

He also said he was not aware that Carla Castillo was related to Corona, who was an Associate Justice at the time.

 

The BGEI, a company owned by Mrs. Corona's family, was supposedly the source of the P11-million loan secured by the chief magistrate which he declared as a liability in his SALN until 2009.  – With a report from Lia Mañalac del Castillo/KG/YA/RSJ, GMA News