CEBU CITY – A barangay captain in the City of Naga, southern Cebu was arrested for allegedly using a fake certificate authorizing registration (CAR), a document issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to transfer a property.
Edden Gera Nocon of Barangay Tinaan was arrested in a hot pursuit operation conducted on August 22 by the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas (NBI-7).
The operation stemmed from an entrapment operation that the NBI-7 conducted inside the office of the Provincial Registry of Deeds in Barangay Guadalupe here.
The NBI-7 said Nocon, through a representative, presented falsified eCAR and deed of absolute sale.
These fake documents were presented to the Office of the Registry of Deeds to transfer an original certificate of land title of a property in Moalboal, Cebu with a total area of 28,626-square meters.
The alleged vendee of the property turned out to be the deceased mother of Nocon, the NBI-7 said.
After the recovery of the fake documents, the NBI-7 conducted an operation that led to Nocon’s arrest.
The NBI-7 discovered that the QR code attached to the fake documents is originally attached to another eCAR involving the sale of a property with an area of 8,626-square meters.
The operation stemmed from the request of Atty. Fidel Calvan who requested the NBI-7 to conduct a thorough investigation on the alleged forgery of a CAR purporting to be issued by BIR’s regional district office in Talisay City.
The NBI-7 also discovered that Nocon is also facing a separate case for falsification of a motor vehicle certificate of registration.
“The impact of this investigation and operation is very crucial because it involves the integrity of our Torrens System and the government revenue collection effort. Thus, the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance will go after those who will engage in this criminal activity to the fullest extent of the law,” the NBI-7 said.
Charges for two counts of violation of the National Internal Revenue Code and falsification of publication documents were filed against the suspect.
As a barangay captain, the suspect is also facing separate complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman for violating Republic Act 6713, an Act establishing a code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials and employees.