A Lagos High Court in Igbosere has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of actress and producer, Monalisa Chinda Coker, over a tax evasion charge running for a period of six years.
Justice Adedayo Akintoye made the order on January 21, following an application by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, alleging that she had repeatedly failed to honor a court summons
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The application flowed from a two-count charge accusing the actress of a six-year failure to file annual tax returns and failure to pay income tax in respect of her company, Monalisa Code Productions. The company carries on its business from Lekki in Lagos.
Prosecution counsel, Y. A. Pitan told Justice Akintoye that Monalisa had not appeared in court since 2017, when the charge was filed against her.
“The defendant has been served with hearing notice. The proof of service is in the court’s file,” Pitan said, while making an application for the bench warrant.
Granting the application, Justice Akintoye adjourned further proceedings till February 2.
But on February 2, the court heard that the bench warrant had yet to be effected. It ordered that the warrant should continue and adjourned till April 1.
The particulars of the count stated that the popular actress “of Monalisa Code Productions, being a taxable person in Nigeria and carrying on business at… Lekki… failed to furnish and file tax returns on your personal income for the years 2011 to 2016.”
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