Lagos High Court, Igbosere
yesterday ordered the arrest of a Nollywood actress and producer, Monalisa
Chinda-Coker, over alleged tax evasion.
The presiding judge, Justice
Adedayo Akintoye renewed the bench warrant following the failure of the actress
to appear in court for trial.
Lagos State government had
charged her with failure to file annual tax returns and failure to pay income
tax in respect of her company, Monalisa Code Productions.
When the matter came up today,
April 1, the defendant and her lawyer were not in court. Hence, the Lagos State
counsel, Mr. Babatunde Sumonu, told the court that the bench warrant it earlier
issued is yet to be effected.
The judge, Justice Akintoye
consequently held that the bench warrant should subsist. She adjourned the case
until June 5 for further hearing.
The court had, on January 21,
2019, given the order for the actress arrest following an application made by
the State Ministry of Justice.
The state submitted that the
defendant repeatedly failed to honour court summons since 2017 when the charge
was filed.
According to the prosecution
counsel, the defendant failed to file annual tax returns and pay income tax in
respect of her company, to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) for
six years, stressing that Monalisa Code Productions carries out its business
from Lekki in Lagos State.
The alleged offences, the
prosecution said contravenes Section 94(1) of the Personal Income Tax Act 2004
(as amended) and Section 56 of the Lagos State Revenue Administrative Law of
2006.
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