The Bureau of Internal Revenue has launched a formal examination of the financial records of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, her husband Manases R. Carpio, and nine companies linked to them, citing probable cause for the probe.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin R. Mendoza confirmed Tuesday the issuance of Letters of Authority covering the couple and a range of affiliated enterprises, from a legal practice to several food and security firms. The LOAs authorize revenue officers to inspect books of accounts and other accounting documents held by the named parties.
The audit falls under the bureau’s Run After Tax Evaders program, its primary vehicle for pursuing cases of suspected tax fraud. Mendoza stressed that the LOAs mark the beginning of a formal process, not a finding of wrongdoing — but warned that civil, administrative, or criminal action could follow if the examination uncovers violations.
Among the entities now under audit is Carpio Lawyers, formerly known as Carpio & Duterte Lawyers. Also covered are Zelta Matiem Salon, City Hall King Chow Foods Corp., Davao Bounty Times Foods Corp., Cale88 Foods Corp., Madayaw Fisheries Inc., Davao Emerging Taipans Corp., Amianan Shores, Inc., and Geometry Security and Investigation Agency, Inc.
The BIR said its decision was informed by third-party data obtained through Section 5 of the National Internal Revenue Code. That material included testimony from the Office of the Ombudsman concerning the vice president’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, as well as Anti-Money Laundering Council reports surfaced during House impeachment proceedings.
Mendoza said the bureau would carry out the audit strictly within established protocols and that the rights of the subject entities would be observed. The BIR described its objective as the impartial determination of whether taxes owed to the government have been correctly paid.
