PBA coach Franz Pumaren faces P20-M tax evasion raps

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed on Tuesday a criminal complaint before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) coach Franz Pumaren owing to the unpaid tax liability of the retail firm he leads.

In a press statement, the BIR said Pumaren and All Best Chodvale Development Inc. violated the Tax Code for alleged failure to pay P20.45 million worth of taxes for 2009.

Pumaren, who coaches GlobalPort Batang Pier in the PBA, is the president of All Best, a retail company based in Mandaluyong City.

He is also a multi-titled collegiate basketball coach and a former professional cager, having played for teams such as San Miguel and the defunct Mobiline franchise.

Sought for comment, Pumaren said he was never part of All Best until 2012.

"I was only made president in 2012 to replace the previous president who was not reporting how he was handling the corporation to the stockholders," he said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Pumaren said he would get into the bottom of the issue.

"I have gotten in touch with the president of the company, who has solely managed and ran the day to day operations. Our names are there because we owned the property all until 2012," he said.

Two other companies were also charged with tax evasion on Tuesday.

They are Bistro Italiano Corp. and Cebu Fiesta Island of the South Restaurant Corp.

A company engaged in the business of setting up and maintaining restaurants and coffee shops, Quezon City-based Bistro Italiano has been assessed by the BIR with a tax liability of P4.29 million for 2007.

Cebu Fiesta, which is into food court business, is accused of failure to settle P7.99 million in taxes for 2008.

The BIR said the respondents had been issued notices of the tax liabilities but failed to either protest or to submit additional documents to refute said assessments, thus making them "final, executory, and demandable."

GMA News Online is still trying to reach the two other companies for comment on the tax complaints. — MDM/BAP, GMA News