Connect with us

International

Philippine: Journalist Maria Ressa Acquitted Of Tax Evasion

Published

on

  • Ms Ressa, who founded Rappler, has been the target of legal cases launched by the Philippine government.

  • In January 2018, the Philippine government had also revoked Rappler’s operating licence.

  • Ms Ressa was previously convicted of libel

Eko Hot Blog reports that a Philippine court has acquitted journalist Maria Ressa and news outlet Rappler of tax evasion, in a move hailed as a win for press freedom.

EDITOR’S PICKS

“Today, facts win, truth wins, justice wins,” said Ms Ressa, who if convicted would have been jailed up to 34 years.

The Nobel Laureate’s legal victory marks the end of a case that began in 2018.

Ms Ressa, who founded Rappler, has been the target of legal cases launched by the Philippine government.

Under former leader Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine government had accused Ms Ressa and Rappler of evading tax payments when it raised capital through its partnership with foreign investors.

Philippines’ Department of Justice had said Rappler’s issuance of financial instrument, known as Philippine Depositary Receipts, to foreign investors Omidyar Network and North Base Media had generated taxable income worth 141.86m pesos (£2.1m; $2.58m) which it did not declare in 2015.

Ms Ressa and Rappler denied the charges and said the transactions involved legitimate financial mechanisms that do not generate taxable income.

In January 2018, the Philippine government had also revoked Rappler’s operating licence. It said the media site, which has two US investors, had violated a clause in the constitution that limits media ownership to Philippine citizens.

FURTHER READING

Ms Ressa was previously convicted of libel and sentenced to up to six years in prison in June 2020. She was later freed on bail.

Source: BBC

Click here to watch video of the week:




Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611




 

 


DISCLAIMER: Opinion articles are solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers Of  EKO HOT BLOG

For publication of your News Contents, articles, Videos or any other News Worthy Materials, please send to [email protected]

For Advert and other info, you can call 08035617233 or send a WhatsApp Message to 08035617233.

Please drop your comments

Copyright © Ekohotblog

MGID