Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa acquitted of tax evasion

Filipino Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and her online news site Rappler were acquitted on Wednesday January 18 of tax evasion, the journalist congratulating herself as soon as “the truth prevails”.

Maria Ressa, joint winner of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 with Russian journalist Dmitri Muratov, faces three other criminal cases, including a conviction for cybercrime, currently on appeal, for which she faces nearly seven years in prison.

The 59-year-old veteran journalist, who also has US citizenship, was one of the most vocal critics of former President Rodrigo Duterte, in power from 2016 to 2022, and his violent methods in the war on drugs.

No evidence

The Tax Court said prosecutors failed to provide evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” of tax evasion. “Today, the facts prevail. The truth prevails,” said Maria Ressa, with tears in her eyes, defiantly to the press, after the decision handed down by the Manila Court of Appeal.

“A reverse decision would have had serious consequences for the press and the capital markets,” Rappler wrote in a statement, adding that the site would continue to “stand its ground” for freedom of information.

The former CNN reporter and the Rappler site, which she co-founded, were accused of providing misinformation in a tax return following a bond sale to foreign investors in 2015.

“Politically motivated” accusations

“These accusations were politically motivated,” said Maria Ressa on Wednesday. “We were able to prove that Rappler is not a tax cheat.” The journalist has been fighting for years to avoid prison. The lawsuits against her are emblematic of the harassment of the independent press in the country, according to human rights organisations.

Maria Ressa and Dmitri Muratov were rewarded in October 2021 by the Nobel Committee for their fight for the “safeguard of freedom of expression”. Asked Wednesday about the meaning of the decision rendered by the Court of Appeal, Maria Ressa replied: “Hope. That’s what it provides.” Despite this judgment, the future of Rappler, which was born a decade ago, remains uncertain.

He is still fighting a legal battle against an order from the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission. In June, a few days before the end of the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, the latter had ordered the closure of the site for having violated “the constitutional and legal restrictions on foreign ownership in the media”.

an American investor

The news organization, which continues to operate, is accused of allowing outsiders to take over its website by issuing “certificates of deposit” through its parent company Rappler Holdings.

According to the Constitution, media investments are restricted to Filipinos or Filipino-controlled entities. The accusation is based on an investment in Rappler in 2015 from an American company, Omidyar Network, created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

Opposition to the “War on Drugs”

Rappler is among sites that have published shocking images of executions and questioned the legal basis of the ‘war on drugs’ which authorities say has claimed more than 6,200 lives, and rights groups say tens of thousands humans.

In September, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said he would not interfere in Maria Ressa’s affairs, citing the separation of powers. In October, a few months after coming to power, she was convicted of online defamation.

---

Source

---