A tax evasion complaint has been lodged before the Department of Justice against former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, his wife Mylah Reyes Roque, and a business associate named Percival Sazon Ortega, with the Bureau of Internal Revenue citing a total deficiency exceeding P3.35 million.
The complaint, filed Monday morning at the DOJ, centers on alleged tax violations connected to Biancham Holdings and Trading, Inc. BIR representatives arrived at the DOJ office at around 10 a.m. to formally submit the charges.
According to the BIR, its investigation determined that the three respondents “failed to file the required tax returns and pay the corresponding taxes due on the transfer of shares of stock and on the increase in authorized capital stock.”
The agency said it found grounds to pursue two specific charges under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997. “The Bureau found probable cause to charge the Roques and Ortega with willful attempt to evade taxes under Section 254, and failure to file tax returns under Section 255, of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended,” it said.
The BIR initially withheld details from reporters who approached the agency Monday, saying it would only issue a formal statement — which it released later in the day.
“The total estimated tax deficiency amounts to more than P3.35 million, inclusive of surcharges and interest,” the bureau said in that statement.
