A young Philippine woman who drew outrage after posting pictures online of her lavish lifestyle including one showing her bathing in money is to be charged with tax evasion, officials said today.
Jeane Napoles, whose mother is currently being investigated over one of the country's biggest corruption scandals, earned widespread derision for her social media posts featuring flashy cars and a swanky condominium in the US.
"We read the newspapers. We follow the Internet. That is where we heard about her," said Bureau of Internal Revenue chief Kim Henares.
Government investigators allege Napoles' mother Janet, a businesswoman, helped members of the Philippine parliament embezzle 10 billion pesos (USD 230 million) in government funds.
Three opposition senators as well as former president Gloria Arroyo, who is in jail for election fraud and graft, are among those swept up in the investigation and could face criminal charges for misuse of funds.
The corruption scandal prompted thousands to march in the streets in massive rallies against graft.
Prior to the scandal, 23-year-old Jeane Napoles regularly took to Tumblr, Instagram and YouTube to document her high-flying lifestyle.
But after Filipino newspapers in June broke the news about her mother's alleged links to corruption, her posts drew anger in the impoverished country where many believe a few families are enriching themselves unfairly.
Napoles deactivated her social media accounts but her photos and videos had already become viral.
