Filipino Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and her online news site Rappler were acquitted of tax evasion on Wednesday, with the journalist congratulating herself as soon as “the truth prevails”.
Ms. Ressa, co-winner of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 with Russian journalist Dmitry 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, which has caused thousands of deaths.
“Today, the facts prevail. The truth prevails,” Ms. Ressa told reporters defiantly after the Manila Court of Appeal ruling.
The former CNN journalist and the Rappler site, which she co-founded, were accused of providing incorrect information in a tax return following a sale of bonds to foreign investors in 2015.
“These charges were politically motivated,” Ms. Ressa said 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.
” Hope “
Ms. Ressa and Mr. 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, Ms. 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 Mr. Duterte’s presidency, the latter had ordered the closure of the site for having violated “constitutional and legal restrictions on foreign ownership in the media”.
The news outlet, which continues to operate, is accused of allowing outsiders to take control of 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.
In September, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said he would not interfere in Ms Ressa’s affairs, citing the separation of powers.
In October, a few months after coming to power, Ms. Ressa was convicted of online defamation.
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