MANILA, April 3 — Maria Ressa, the head of a Philippine news website known for critical reports about President Rodrigo Duterte, pleaded not guilty today to tax evasion charges.
Ressa maintained that the tax dodging case, as well as the other cases filed against her and online news platform Rappler (www.rappler.com), were “politically motivated”.
“We did nothing wrong. I am very proud of Rappler and what we have accomplished,” Ressa told reporters after her arraignment. “I’m hoping for justice.”
The Department of Justice in October indicted Ressa, and online news platform Rappler, for attempting to evade taxes by not reporting gains of almost US$3 million (RM12.2 million) in the company’s 2015 tax returns.
Rappler has challenged Duterte frequently, questioning the accuracy of his public statements and scrutinising his war on drugs and his foreign policies. It drew the ire of Duterte, who has lashed out at the news site in several public speeches.
Ressa was served an arrest warrant over a libel case live on television in February and spent a night in detention before she was released.
She was arrested again on March 29 at a Manila airport on charges she had violated foreign ownership rules. She was later freed by the court after she posted bail.
The Philippine constitution bans foreign ownership of media but Rappler has said foreigners who invested in its Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) do not have any say in its operations.
Rappler’s license to operate was revoked by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2018 because of questions over the news site’s ownership.
Rappler and its officials are now facing 11 cases, said Ressa.
Media watchdogs have said the charges against Ressa were trumped up and aimed at intimidating those who challenge Duterte’s rule, in particular his deadly crackdown on illicit drugs. — Reuters
