Lopez also charged with plunder for alleged preferential treatment given to Korean company
(Eagle News) — The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption on Thursday filed criminal charges against Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez after he allegedly gave preferential treatment to a car manufacturer that led to the government losing P1.1 billion in taxes and Customs duties.
Also charged with technical smuggling and estafa were six officials of Hyundai Asia Resources Incorporated, three high-ranking officials of Hyundai Motor Company, and its Customs broker.
In the 13-page complaint filed before the Department of Justice, the VACC alleged Lopez–who was also charged with plunder—“unjustly favored” HARI when he delayed the resolution of HARI’s motion for reconsideration contesting the Board of Investments order for the Korean company’s tax breaks given under the Motor Vehicle Development Program to be returned to the government.
The BOI made the order after an ocular inspection of the company’s manufacturing plant in Laguna in February showed “an absence of basic assembly processes.”
The complainant also questioned the “additional time given to HARI to implement assembly processes of welding and painting,” and Lopez’s alleged act of giving HARI “the luxury time in complying with the terms and conditions of the MVDP.”
In an interview, Lopez, however, denied the allegations.
“I believe we just did our job. And (the Bureau of Customs) is the agency computing for the Customs duties due to government. So (this is) not even determined by BOI. So I don’t know where they are coming from,” he said.