Court defers arraignment of Mikey Arroyo, wife for tax-evasion raps

GMA News TV's "News To Go" report said the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 100 granted the couple's motion to suspend the arraignment as the Arroyos argued their motion for review is still pending.   It also quoted Arroyo couple's lawyer Ruy Rondain as saying the tax-evasion charges are weak as these only  stemmed from "late filing" of income tax returns. Earlier, Mikey Arroyo claimed the charges against him and his wife filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue was a form of “political harassment." The BIR alleged Mikey Arroyo did not file his income tax return in 2005, 2008, and 2009 – years when he served as congressman of Pampanga’s second district. The BIR is requiring the couple to pay P73.85 million in aggregate tax liabilities accumulated from 2004 to 2009. — LBG, GMA News