DOJ gives Corona, kin more time to answer tax evasion case

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has given ousted chief justice Renato Corona and his daughter and son-in-law more time to answer the P150-million tax evasion charges the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed against them.

In the first hearing of the preliminary investigation, the panel of DOJ prosecutors granted the request of lawyers of the Coronas for extension of the period for submission of their respective counter-affidavits.

Corona, his daughter Carla Castillo and her husband Constantino Castillo did not attend the hearing.

Lawyers Reinhard Sanchez and Perpetuo Lotilla told the investigating panel that they need more time to examine the voluminous complaint before they could come up with answers.

“We received the complaint only recently. There are 323 pages and the allegations are very technical in nature. We really need to examine this,” Sanchez explained.

The panel chaired by Senior State Prosecutor Rosanne Balaua with prosecution attorneys Mark Roland Estepa and Jayvee Bandong granted the motion and set the next hearing on Oct. 5.

But the prosecutors warned the lawyers that should they fail to submit the counter-affidavits and present the respondents, the case would be deemed submitted for resolution.

The BIR had accused Corona and the two others of violating the National Internal Revenue Code by not filing their respective income tax returns for several years.

Corona allegedly violated the tax code in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010, while Carla violated the code in 2010. Her husband, meanwhile, supposedly evaded taxes in 2003 and 2008, and failed to file a tax return in 2003.

Corona had already denied the accusations.