Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 11) — The tax evasion case against the daughter of alleged “pork barrel queen” Janet Lim Napoles was junked, according to court records.
The decision from the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) released Wednesday dismissed the two criminal cases against Jeane Napoles.
Napoles’ daughter was accused of failing to file tax returns and pay taxes worth ₱17 million between 2011 and 2012 for her alleged ownership of a ₱54.73 million upscale Ritz Carlton condominium unit in Los Angeles, California, as well as a farm in Bayambang, Pangasinan.
The court said prosecutors failed to prove there were any lapses in the younger Napoles’ income tax to create reasonable doubt.
“The Court finds that the evidence presented is not sufficient to sustain a conviction of accused since the prosecution failed to discharge the burden to prove all the essential elements of the crimes attributed to accused,” the decision read.
In 2013, Jeane Napoles made rounds on social media for posting pictures of her “flamboyant” lifestyle abroad–owning expensive real estate, a couple of Porsches, and her infamous no-spending-limit shopping habits.
CTA Associate Justice Lovell Bautista penned the resolution. It was concurred by Associate Justices Esperanza Fabon-Victorino and Ma. Belen Ringpi-Liban.
Meanwhile, Janet Lim-Napoles and her husband, Jaime, were charged in 2013 for tax evasion, with liabilities amounting to ₱44.7 million and ₱16.43 million, respectively.
