The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has ordered Letters of Authority to audit the tax records of Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and nine businesses linked to them. The move follows a determination of probable cause based on third-party data such as SALNs and AMLC reports. It adds pressure to her ongoing impeachment complaint over alleged misuse of public funds.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has ordered the issuance of Letters of Authority (LOAs) to audit Vice President Sara Duterte, her husband Manases Carpio, and nine businesses linked to the couple. The BIR stated that a careful determination found probable cause based on third-party data, including Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) and Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reports.
BIR Commissioner Charlito Martin Mendoza explained that an LOA is the legal instrument to initiate formal tax audits of taxpayers' books of accounts. "It is not a conclusion of liability, but it is a necessary step in determining the correct taxes due. Accountability begins with the consistent application of the law," he said.
The businesses include Carpio Lawyers (formerly Carpio & Duterte Lawyers), Zelta Matiem Salon, City Hall King Chow Foods Corporation, Davao Bounty Times Foods Corporation, Madayaw Fisheries Inc., Davao Emerging Taipans Corporation, Amianan Shores Inc., Cale88 Foods Corporation, and Geometry Security and Investigation Agency Inc.
The decision comes days after the House justice committee deferred opening the couple's tax records due to legal questions under the National Internal Revenue Code. Impeachment hearings revealed disparities between P6.7 billion in bank transactions over 20 years and her declared net worth peaking at P88 million.
