(UPDATE) ​BUREAU of Customs (BOC) officials who have aided couple Pacifico Discaya and Cezarah Discaya in evading proper payment of duties and taxes for their 28 luxury cars will be sanctioned, said Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno.

​The Discayas, owners of Alpha & Omega General Contractor and Development Corporation, are facing allegations of colluding with corrupt government officials in making money on fraudulent flood control projects.

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​“If there are deficiencies in the payment of duties and taxes or their documents have been altered or doctored or they have contacts or are in cahoots with [customs] insiders, I assure the public that we will look into it and make sure that those liable will be made to answer [for their crimes],” said Nepomuceno.

He noted that the process may take some time because each of the 28 cars is being subjected to scrutiny, including their serial numbers and import entries.

‘Discayas’ collaborators in BOC to be prosecuted’

​Nepomuceno explained that imported cars can be bought directly from a source abroad or from local imported car dealers.

He added that an imported car is classified as smuggled if it has no import entry, no proof of payment of duties and taxes, among others, and this would prompt the BOC to issue a warrant of seizure and detention, which would authorize the confiscation and subsequent auction of the subject vehicle.

​“If they fail to provide valid documentation, they will face charges in violation of Sections 1400 and 1401, in relation to Section 1113 of Republic Act 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act,” Nepomuceno said.

​Another document that needs to be presented by the dealer and owner of an imported car is the Authority to Release Imported Goods issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

​All 28 luxury vehicles of the Discayas are now in the custody of the BOC.

​“They are sealed and cordoned. BOC and Coast Guard personnel are deployed in the area and nobody can take them out without clearance from the customs bureau,” said Chris Bendejo, deputy chief of staff at the Office of the Commissioner.