Diokno in-laws’ firm likely to face plunder, tax evasion raps
Credit to Author: GLEE JALEA| Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2019 17:02:29 +0000
CAMARINE SUR: The construction firm of the in-laws of Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno might face plunder and tax evasion charges for having at least a P50-million share in anomalous flood-control projects, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said on Friday.
“With this development, the evidence against Aremar has reached the plunder point…Yung iba pang bank receipts, sa susunod na hearing na namin ipiprisinta (The other bank receipts will be presented in the next inquiry)” Andaya said in a statement.
This came a day after the House Committee on Rules held a hearing, which revealed that Aremar Construction Corp. has been using other contractors as front to benefit from billions’ worth of flood-control projects allegedly facilitated by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Aremar Construction Corp. is a duly-registered corporation with business address in Casiguran, Sorsogon.
It is owned by the Hamors, the in-laws of Diokno.
The biggest stockholder of the firm is Casiguran Mayor Jose Edwin Hamor.
He and his wife, Sorsogon Vice Gov. Ester Hamor, are seeking elective posts in the 2019 polls.
“Secretary Diokno better advise his son-in-law, Romeo ‘Jojo’ Sicat Jr., to get a good lawyer. As incorporator of Aremar, Jojo Sicat is duty-bound to ensure that their construction firm does not violate the laws of the land,” Andaya said.
Diokno’s daughter, Charlotte Justine, is married to Sicat, the son of Vice Gov. Hamor with previous partner Gerardo Sicat.
Andaya said the P50-million share in the flood-control scam includes P11 million discovered as stated in a deposit slip that found its way to the account of Aremar in October 2018.
The House panel first presented a copy of the deposit slip from LandBank that showed an anonymous contractor that won a bidding for a Bicol project, but had deposited P11.4 million on October 4 in the account of Aremar, which Andaya claims is the real contractor of the project.
He also accused Aremar of putting up at least seven other “dummy accounts” to conceal itself as the actual receiving end of transactions with bidders.
According to the majority leader, immediately after Thursday’s public inquiry in Naga City, Camarines Sur, more contractors came to “spill the beans” and express willingness to help in the investigation.
Republic Act (RA) 7080 or an “Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder” states that a public officer who, by himself or in connivance with members of his family, relatives by affinity or consanguinity, business associates, subordinates or other persons, amasses, accumulates or acquires ill-gotten wealth of at least P50 million shall be guilty of plunder.
“With these pieces of evidence, we will ask the Bureau of Internal Revenue for official documents related to tax payments made by Aremar Construction and its incorporators. Titingnan natin kung nagma-match ba ang tax payments nila sa mga income na pumapasok sa bank accounts nila (We will check if tax payments match the income that enters their bank accounts),” Andaya said.
“If this income will not reflect in their tax payments, Aremar will have another problem. Not only the possibility of plunder but also tax evasion,” he added.
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