On September 12, a court in the National Capital Region’s eastern city of Pasig acquitted renowned journalist and 2021 Nobel Prize winner Maria Ressa and her outlet, Rappler, on the fifth of five tax evasion charges. In its decision, the court dismissed all civil aspects of the case, while acquitting Ressa and Rappler of criminal charges. The ruling cannot be appealed by the prosecution under the Philippines’ double jeopardy legislation.
Ressa and Rappler were acquitted of four similar tax evasion charges in January, with the Court of Tax Appeals dismissing the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s claims of Rappler's alleged tax malpractice as without factual or legal basis.
The five cases were launched under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, with authorities claiming Rappler had knowingly failed to provide consumption tax data in 2015 concerning the distribution of Philippines Depository Receipts (PDR), a financial instrument that allows companies to raise funds from investors outside the Philippines. Rappler’s legal counsel, however, has stated that no PDRs were sold.
The decision has been welcomed by Rappler allies, including trade union federations, human rights organisations, and the #HoldTheLine coalition, an alliance of over 80 press freedom and media organisations dedicated to supporting Maria Ressa and Rappler throughout the targeted legal campaign against them.
Maria Ressa and Rappler still face a further two active charges, including a petition before the Philippines’ Court of Appeals to implement a restraining order against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s decision to implement a 2018 closure order, and a petition for review filed with the Supreme Court related to a June 2020 conviction of cyber libel facing Ressa and a former outlet researcher, Reynaldo Santos Jr.
Ressa was first charged in 2018, two months after the SEC’s issuance of a closure order alleging Rappler was a foreign-owned entity. Ressa, a staunch critic of former President Duterte, has maintained that the charges laid against her were politically motivated.
The NUJP said: “NUJP congratulates Maria Ressa and Rappler on their acquittal on the fifth and last tax evasion case against them. That the tax cases filed against our colleagues have been dismissed gives credence to the argument that these were politically motivated and were filed to harass and intimidate Maria and Rappler. […] As other colleagues face cases related to their work as journalists, this latest legal victory is a reminder for all of us to continue to hold the line.”
The IFJ said: “This court decision, finally acquitting Maria Ressa and Rappler of all intimidatory tax evasion charges, represents an important victory for press freedom in the Philippines. The IFJ calls on the country’s judiciary to urgently review all remaining charges against Ressa and other Filipino journalists, including the ongoing detention of Frenchie Mae Cumpio, to put an end to the harassment and silencing of media workers under the Duterte administration.”