Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa cleared of tax evasion

A Philippine court has acquitted journalist Maria Ressa and news outlet Rappler of tax evasion, in a move hailed as a win for press freedom.

“Today, facts win, truth wins, justice wins,” said Ms Ressa, who if convicted would have been jailed up to 34 years.

The Nobel Laureate’s legal victory marks the end of a case that began in 2018.

Ms Ressa, who founded Rappler, has been the target of legal cases launched by the Philippine government.

Under former leader Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine government had accused Ms Ressa and Rappler of evading tax payments when it raised capital through its partnership with foreign investors.

Philippines’ Department of Justice had said Rappler’s issuance of financial instrument, known as Philippine Depositary Receipts, to foreign investors Omidyar Network and North Base Media had generated taxable income worth 141.86m pesos (£2.1m; $2.58m) which it did not declare in 2015.

Ms Ressa and Rappler denied the charges and said the transactions involved legitimate financial mechanisms that do not generate taxable income.

In January 2018, the Philippine government had also revoked Rappler’s operating licence. It said the media site, which has two US investors, had violated a clause in the constitution that limits media ownership to Philippine citizens.

Ms Ressa was previously convicted of libel and sentenced to up to six years in prison in June 2020. She was later freed on bail.