Posted by By Olayinka Oyebode on
The Lagos State Government has hailed Justice Joseph Oyewole's inclusion of the provision of tax clearance by the sureties in the bail condition for the former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George.
The Lagos State Government has hailed Justice Joseph Oyewole's inclusion of the provision of tax clearance by the sureties in the bail condition for the former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George.
The Special Adviser on Taxation to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Ade Ipaye, told our correspondent on Monday that the judge's emphasis on tax clearance was a welcome development.
Ipaye, however, added that the state government had no hand in the judge's stand, stressing that it was entirely Justice Oyewole's initiative.
Ipaye said, 'We welcome the development, but I will like to tell you that we don't have a hand in it. It was purely a judicial matter and the judge made his pronouncement.
'However, it is important for citizens to pay their taxes as part of their obligations to the state. I believe that if you are a responsible citizen of the state, then, you must pay your taxes up to date.'
Ipaye admitted that some people still indulged in evasion of taxes, adding that the development would be a lesson to them.
He, however, declined to say whether more prominent people in the state had rushed to pay their taxes following the last week's experience.
George, along with four others, was standing trial at an Ikeja High Court over alleged N84bn contract fraud at the Nigerian Ports Authority during his tenure as the chairman of the board.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had slammed a 163-count charge on George; the former managing director of the NPA, Mr. Aminu Dabo; Captain O. Abioye; Alhaji Abdullahi Tafida and Alhaji Zama Maibaribe.
Justice Oyewole had last Tuesday granted them bail at the sum of N5m and a surety in like sum.
Other conditions attached to the bail were that the sureties must be resident in Lagos, own properties in the state and produce evidence of tax payment.
In spite of efforts by their lawyers, the bail conditions could not be met until Friday afternoon.
Our correspondent gathered that the delay was as a result of the inability of some of the prominent people contacted to provide evidence of tax payment.
Many of them who were prepared to stand as sureties could not provide evidence of tax payment. The development kept George and others in the custody of the EFCC till Friday, when the bail was eventually perfected.
The inclusion of the tax evidence also fuelled speculations that it might have been influenced by the Lagos State Government, which had been harping on the need for residents to pay taxes up to date.