BOC to begin formal seizure proceedings vs. Discaya vehicles on Oct. 9

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will start the formal seizure proceedings for several luxury vehicles seized from the Discaya family on Thursday, Oct. 9.

In a press briefing, BOC deputy chief-of-staff Atty. Chris Noel Bendijo said the formal seizure proceedings will cover 13 of the 30 seized vehicles which were previously found to be lacking in documents for import entry and certificate of payment.

“Ang susunod na hakbang po ng BOC dito, itong paparating na October 9 magkakaroon tayo ng hearing. Ito na po yung formal seizure proceedings. Pag wala pa rin po silang napatunayang dokumento dito upang mapatunayan ang pagbabayad ng duties at taxes, ito na po ay mafo-forfeit in favor of the government,” Bendijo said.

(The next step of the BOC is to have a hearing this coming October 9. This will be the formal seizure proceedings. If they still are unable to present documents to prove that they were paying duties and taxes, these will be forfeited in favor of the government.)

“Pag na-aprubahan naman po ng ating Secretary of Finance, ito naman po ay pwede i-subasta upang maging revenue na po ang mga sasakyang ito,” he added.

(Once it has been approved by our Secretary of Finance, these cars can be auctioned off in order to generate revenue.)

The other 17 vehicles will undergo a post-clearance audit to double-check and confirm the legality of its documentation for import and tax payments.

GMA Integrated News has reached out to the Discayas’ legal counsel for comment about the BOC’s commencement of formal seizure proceedings on the 13 vehicles and will publish their comment once it is available.

Last week, the BOC said an estimated P100 million in taxes were left unpaid when contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya acquired the 13 vehicles in question.

The BOC previously issued a Warrant of Seizure and Detention (WSD) covering the 13 vehicles due to issues with the documents submitted by the Discayas to the BOC.

The government agency also revealed that majority of the seized cars had no records of paid duties and taxes.

Meanwhile, Bendijo said the BOC already submitted the results of their investigation on the Discayas’ luxury vehicles to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure that is probing irregularities in flood control projects.

The submission included documents and other certifications related to the seized vehicles. — JMA, GMA Integrated News