Cebu revenue officer indicted for estafa

CEBU, Philippines -The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas has indicted an officer of the Bureau of Internal Revenue for estafa after she allegedly misappropriated over P200,000 of taxpayer’s money.

The anti-graft office found probable cause to charge Revenue Officer II Dina Neri of estafa before the Regional Trial Court after she failed to remit the P220,000 she collected from a taxpayer.

The amount was supposed to be payment for the tax of the estate of the late Wilfredo Faustino whose estate is under probate before the Regional Trial Court Branch 23.

Lawyer Domingo Amores, counsel for the heirs of Faustino, filed the complaint against Neri alleging that the latter called him up on September 26, 2002 to collect the estate tax of Faustino.

Believing that Neri was authorized to collect taxes, Amores said he gave the P220,000 to the accused six days after the call was made. Neri allegedly went to his office in Lapu-Lapu City to pick up the payment.

However, Amores said he was surprised to learn from the BIR that there was no payment of estate tax made. According to Amores, he immediately demanded payment from Neri but the latter failed prompting him to file a complaint before the Ombudsman.

Then graft investigator Macaundas Hadji Rasul, who is now a judge, found probable cause to indict Neri after she failed to submit her counter affidavit. —(FREEMAN)