Remember Jeane Napoles? The daughter of Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam that was under national scrutiny in 2013? The one with the viral birthday video showing her extravagant lifestyle in Los Angeles? Well, it was reported yesterday that the Philippine Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has dismissed the tax evasion case filed against her by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
In a resolution dated Dec. 6, the CTA third division said it dismissed the case for insufficient evidence.
The case included charges of tax evasion and failure to file an income tax. According to a report by The Philippine Star, the BIR said that Jeane has PHP17.46 million (US$346,756) in tax liabilities from when she allegedly bought a condominium unit at the Ritz Carlton in Los Angeles, California worth US$1.2 million.
Jeane’s lawyers argued that the property was given to her as a gift and that she was a student and had no income at the time the condominium unit was purchased, Rappler reported. They also said that her mother, Janet was taxed for the property in 2016.
Watch Jeane’s now viral birthday video below:
Janet is the alleged mastermind of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam or pork barrel scam that was under intense national scrutiny in 2013. In an expose by The Philippine Daily Inquirer, it was alleged that she created bogus cooperatives that acted as beneficiaries for several senators’ and congressmen’s pork barrel.
The PDAF, previously called the Countrywide Development Fund, was created to fund small-scale community development projects of legislators. Having bogus cooperatives allowed the lawmakers to keep a portion of the fund intended for the projects.
Janet has been imprisoned at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City since 2015.
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