The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested two Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) employees inside their office Monday for allegedly soliciting a P600,000 bribe to significantly reduce a corporation’s tax assessment, NBI director Jaime Santiago announced Wednesday.

The NBI’s Public Corruption Office arrested BIR Taguig Revenue Officer Elisa Dimayacyac and Group Supervisor Grace Raquel Lapuos on 29 September.

Santiago said the investigation began after Hitz Park Solutions Incorporated in Taguig filed a complaint.

The two BIR officials, acting on a Letter of Authority, initially assessed the corporation’s tax dues at P36 million.

This amount was allegedly negotiated down to P6 million, and then further reduced to P800,000.

The corrupt deal stipulated that only P200,000 would be officially paid to the government with a receipt. The remaining P600,000 was allegedly demanded by the officials “off the record.”