Arrest warrant out for Cedric, wife

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has ordered the arrest of businessman Cedric Lee and his wife, Judy Gutierrez Lee, in connection with four counts of tax evasion filed against them by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The CTA second division said it found probable cause in the P194.47-million tax case after the couple allegedly lowered the declared income of their company, Izumo Contractors Inc., from 2006 to 2009.

John Ong, the couple’s business partner and Izumo’s chief operating officer, posted P20,000 bail for each of the cases. The CTA’s second division, which handles three of the four cases, set Ong’s arraignment on Oct. 14.

The third division, which handles the remaining case, set Ong’s arraignment on Oct. 7. It has yet to issue the warrant for the arrest of the Lee couple.

The BIR said Izumo earned P302.63 million from 2006 to 2009, but a shared income of only P76.22 million was declared, resulting in a tax liability of P194.47 million.

Lee was accused of beating up television host Vhong Navarro last year. He is also facing graft and corruption charges before the Sandiganbayan over an allegedly anomalous contract between Izumo and the local government of Mariveles, Bataan.