The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will conduct an investigation into allegations that its employees are involved in a money-making scheme linked to the issuance of Letters of Authority (LOA).

This was disclosed by BIR Commissioner Charlito Mendoza on Thursday, saying the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Secretary of Finance is clear: investigate and hold accountable any BIR personnel involved in extortion or abuse of the LOA system.

Mendoza also encouraged the public to directly approach his office for complaints.

He said, “That’s why I’m calling on our stakeholders, our taxpayers who experienced abuse from BIR personnel, to come to us, directly to me, to my office, so they can provide details.”

The probe was prompted by a resolution filed by Senator Erwin Tulfo urging the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the alleged scheme.

The BIR chief said the bureau has suspended all field audits and related operations, including the issuance of LOAs and Mission Orders (MO).

Mendoza, however, stressed that LOAs remain an essential part of the bureau’s enforcement process. He said there is nothing wrong with the tool itself since it is needed to determine whether tax evasion exists.

Mendoza made the remarks after filing tax evasion complaints before the Department of Justice against SYMS Construction Trading proprietor Sally Santos and IM Construction Corporation president Robert Imperio over ghost flood control projects in Bulacan.