(Eagle News) – Rappler CEO Maria Ressa pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, April 3, to four tax evasion cases stemming from the failure of Rappler Holdings Corporation’s to reflect the total gains in its 2015 tax returns.
“This is my first arraignment of the 11 legal cases filed against us in 14 months. Posted bail 8 times. Each of the 4 tax charges today carry max 10 yrs in prison. That’s 40 yrs! But I remain hopeful we will get justice,” Ressa said in a tweet after the court hearing.
She entered her plea in a Manila court to four tax evasion charges arising from a 2015 bond sale that raised money from a US-based investor for the Rappler news site she co-founded.
A smiling Ressa made the not guilty plea before the 1st Division of the Court of Tax Appeals.
Her lawyer, Eric Recalde, said he believed that “it’s just a matter of time before we get an acquittal.”
He said that based on what transpired that morning before the court, they are confident that they “will get a fair trial”
“Hopeful. Always hopeful. It’s very serious for me. Each charge could carry a prison penalty from two to ten years, so altogether that’s 40 years. So it’s real. It’s very real,” Ressa told reporters after the court hearing.
-Ressa to travel to Italy for Int’l Journalism Festival-
The Rappler CEO also said that she was given a “chance to travel again” as she flies to Italy Wednesday night as she will be speaking about the “mission of journalism” at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy.
In an interview with reporters, Ressa stressed this was her constitutional right.
-Ressa happy with “efficient” court proceedings-
She also said that he was “happy” with the court proceedings as it was done professionally and efficiently.
“I thought it was extremely efficient, very professional on all sides,” Ressa said.
The charges arose from a complaint by the Bureau of Internal Revenue for Rappler’s alleged failure to reflect in its 2015 tax returns “the total gains of almost P162.5 million which it realized from its issuance of Philippine Depository Receipts (PDR) to NBM Rappler L.P. and Omidyar Network Fund LLC,” according to a previous release of the Department of Justice.
NBM Rappler and Omidyar Network are two foreign investors which put money into Rappler between the years 2014 and 2015.
The BIR complaint was for “willful attempt to evade or defeat tax and willful failure to supply correct and accurate information under Sections 254 and 255, respectively, of the Tax Code.”
Ressa told reporters she did nothing wrong.
“We did nothing wrong, and I’m very proud of Rappler, and what we have accomplished.”
“I hope that it’s resolved sooner, rather than later, and we can all go back to work,” she said.
