Nobel winner Maria Ressa, news outlet cleared of tax evasion
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa and her news company have been cleared of tax evasion charges she said were among legal cases used by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to try to muzzle critical reporting. The Court of Tax Appeals ruled Wednesday that prosecutors failed to prove Ressa and Rappler Holdings Corp. evaded tax payments after raising capital through partnerships with two foreign investors. Ressa commented after the ruling that “today, facts win, truth wins, justice wins.” She won the Nobel Peace Prize with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov in 2021 for defying government efforts to shut their news organizations. Ressa and Rappler face three more legal cases.