Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3) — Maria Ressa, journalist and CEO of online news outfit Rappler, on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to the four cases she is facing at the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).
She is facing one count of tax evasion and three counts of alleged failure to supply the correct Income Tax Return in 2015 and Value Added Tax returns for the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2015 worth a total of P70.2 million. These cases involve the Philippine Depositary Receipts issued to foreign investor Omidyar.
Ressa’s hearing for the tax cases will start on May 15. The prosecution will present six witnesses and three sets of documentary evidence, while Rappler will present Philippine Depositary Receipts and bank certificates.
There are a total of 11 complaints and cases lodged against Rappler, Ressa, its officers, and reporters, including libel, cyber libel, and the alleged violation of the Anti-Dummy Law and the Securities Code. On Monday, she posted her eighth bail for the the anti-dummy law case.
This was the first time she was arraigned.
“Sitting there and thinking about it makes me slightly angry but seeing the professional way it was handled on both sides, I’d still say these cases are politically motivated,” she said in a chance interview.
