The Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) has found Claire dela Fuente (Clarita de Guzman in real life) guilty of tax evasion charges involving her bus company went viral on social media on Friday, July 17, 2020. The CTA sentenced her to seven years in prison.

According to Associate Justice Ma. Belen M. Ringpis-Liban released statement in a 205-page decision on Friday, “guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating the tax code.”  There are seven criminal tax cases for her liability as corporate officer in charge of the Philippine Corinthian Liner Corp. (PCLC).

“”For each consolidated criminal case, she is sentenced to suffer the straight penalty of imprisonment of one year and ordered to pay a fine of PHP50,000 with subsidiary imprisonment, in case (the) accused has no property with which to meet such fine,” court said.

PCLC also released statement to Claire Dela Fuente cases, “It is without a doubt that accused dela Fuente was well aware that operations were being conducted by PCLC, either through themselves or the smaller bus operators who were using the franchises granted exclusively to PCLC, especially since most, if not all, LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) and LTO (Land Transportation Office) approvals granted to PCLC were indeed facilitated by her.”

“Cannot escape the consequences of being a responsible officer, agent, or employee of PCLC and must be held liable for its crime,” court said.

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