Alleged Tax Evasion: Court fixes date for Nollywood actress’s trial

An Igbosere High Court in Lagos State on Thursday fixed October 10 for the trial of a Nollywood actress, Monalisa Chinda-Coker, over alleged tax evasion.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that trial was earlier fixed for June 5, but could not hold due to the Eid-el-Fitr holiday.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, the court fixed October 10 as the new date for trial.
Chinda-Coker, who is also a film producer, is facing a two-count charge of failure to file annual tax returns and failure to pay income tax in respect of her company, Monalisa Code Productions.
According to the charge marked LD/5712c/2017, Monalisa Code Productions carries on its business from Lekki in Lagos.
NAN recalls that on the last adjourned date on April 1, Justice Adedayo Akintoye had renewed a bench warrant for the arrest of the actress following her failure to appear in court for trial.
The Lagos State Counsel, Babatunde Sumonu, had told the court that the bench warrant earlier issued has yet to be effected.
The judge, therefore, held that the bench warrant should subsist.
NAN also reports that the court had on January 21 given an order for the actress’s arrest following an application made by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.
The state submitted that the defendant repeatedly failed to honour court summons since 2017 when the charge was filed.
The prosecutor said the defendant failed to file annual tax returns and pay income tax in respect of her company to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service for six years.
The alleged offences contravened Section 94(1) of the Personal Income Tax Act 2004 (as amended) and Section 56 of the Lagos State Revenue Administrative Law of 2006.