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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Alleged BIR fixer falls in Lipa entrapment

Alleged BIR fixer falls in Lipa entrapment

Published Jun 5, 2021 08:08 am

A man providing janitorial services to a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) branch in Lipa City, Batangas was nabbed due to alleged fixing.

A janitor pretending to be a member of an office at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) branch in Lipa City, Batangas is arrested for fixing in an entrapment operation on June 3. (ARTA Photo)

In a statement, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said Jonel Samontañez, 26, was nabbed during an entrapment operation of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Thursday morning.

The operation stemmed from a complaint referred by ARTA.

The ARTA Investigation team said the suspect, who is a building attendant under the Janitorial Services of BIR Lipa, pretended to be a member of an office in the agency that issues Certificate of Registration (COR) for business permits.

Samontañez reportedly asked for P5,000 from the undercover agent in exchange for fast issuance of COR.

ARTA said Samontañez may be charged for violating the Ease of Doing Business Act, the Revised Penal Code, and other issuances.

Meanwhile, ARTA Director-General Jeremiah Belgica is also mulling on issuing a Show Cause Order (SCO) against the head of BIR Lipa to explain the incident.

Related Tags

Anti-Red Tape Authority Ease of Doing Business ARTA arrest red tape Entrapment Operation
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