BIR wins another set of Ghost Receipt criminal cases before the DOJ; Warrants of Arrest against the Corporate Officers will follow

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo D. Lumagui Jr. reports another win in his war against Ghost Receipts with the finding of the DOJ in two (2) cases that certain corporations and its corporate officers that there is probable cause for the violation of Sections 254, 255, 267 in relation 253 (d) and 256 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC). The cases are now filed before the Regional Trial Court and the Metropolitan Trial Court. Warrants of arrest will be issued against the responsible corporate officers.

"The BIR wins another set of criminal cases involving Ghost Receipts. Twenty-six (26) criminal informations were filed before the courts. Warrants of arrest will be issued against the responsible Corporate Officers. They will be arrested. The BIR is grateful to this favorable ruling of the DOJ, our ally in this war against Ghost Receipts." Commissioner Lumagui stated.

A total of 26 Criminal Informations were filed before the Courts against these corporations and corporate officers under the Run After Fake Transactions (RAFT) Program of the BIR. The RAFT program was created by Commissioner Lumagui for the purpose of ending the selling and use of Ghost Receipts in the country. Ghost Receipts are receipts that contain fictitious transactions, which are then bought and used by businesses to evade proper payment of taxes.

The war against Ghost Receipts started after a December 2022 raid of the syndicate that sells these receipts to opportunistic businesses. The RAFT program was then created to audit and file criminal cases against the buyers and users of such receipts. Criminal cases were also filed against the sellers of such receipts.

The BIR continues to fight the war against Ghost Receipts. Last August 2024, the BIR partnered with Ateneo de Manila University - Department of Mathematics to develop an algorithm that will detect companies possibly using such receipts. The RAFT program will be a continuing and relentless project of the BIR because it is the only weapon that addresses the decades-old proliferation of Ghost Receipts in the country.