Mikey arraignment over tax case reset

MANILA, Philippines - The arraignment of Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo and his wife Angela in connection with the tax case filed against them before a Quezon City court was postponed again.

The Arroyo couple, accompanied by their lawyer Ruy Rondain, appeared before the sala of Judge Marie Christine Jacob of the Regional Trial Court Branch 100 yesterday morning for the arraignment.

But the court decided to reset the arraignment to March 7 because Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has yet to resolve the motion for reconsideration filed by the Arroyo couple.

The Arroyo couple had asked the Department of Justice to reverse its ruling finding probable cause for the tax evasion charges against them. The motion was filed on Dec. 14.

The prosecution did not object to the motion to suspend yesterday’s proceedings.

The party-list lawmaker is facing three counts of tax evasion for alleged failure to file income tax returns from 2007 to 2009 while his wife was charged with seven counts for failure to file ITRs from 2003 to 2009. 

Arroyo and his wife had posted a bail of P60,000 and P140,000, respectively.