Neri decries alleged political harassment

MANILA, Philippines - Former Social Security System (SSS) president Romulo Neri cried foul yesterday over the tax evasion case filed against him by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Speaking to reporters during the Balitaan sa Rembrandt news forum in Quezon City, Neri said the tax evasion case could be part of the continuing pressure to compel him to tell all on the national broadband network (NBN) controversy.

“The tax evasion case has no basis, this could be part of the political harassment,” he said.

Neri said the BIR figures in the complaint were not accurate, and that he has already filed his income tax return for last year and that all his earnings have been reported.

He claimed he was denied due process since he only received one demand letter which informed him of the tax arrears.

Neri said before he could answer the demand letter a case of tax evasion had already been filed before the Department of Justice.

He has yet to receive the second and final demand letter, he added.

Neri’s lawyer Paul Lentejas, who was also present during the forum, said it was “trigger happy” for the BIR to file the tax evasion case based on the records of a Senate hearing without any investigation.

“This is a form of political harassment, it’s a trigger happy approach of the BIR,” he said.

The BIR did not take into consideration that half of the income cited in the complaint has been turned over to the SSS, Lentejas said.

Neri believes the filing of the case has something to do with the offer of some people for him to tell all he knows on the NBN deal.

Emissaries have been sending feelers to him to cooperate in exchange for some consideration, he added.