Date: 2020-11-16

A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin has ordered the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service to pay the sum of N104,908,939.57 to three tax consultants, for the professional services they rendered to the agency.

The three consultants, Adeyemi Sheriff, Adedoyin Sanni, and Bamidele Ogunlowo, operating under the trade name Mazars Consulting, had in their suit demanded N104.9m as payment for their services leading to the establishment of KWIR, and a separate sum of N464,856,418.86 as their 10 per cent commission on the revenues which they assisted the state to generate.

The consultants claimed that KWIRS gave them the task of conducting the tax audit of 52 federal ministries, departments, and agencies, leading to the recovery of N5.4bn for the Kwara State Government.

The court, in a ruling by Justice E.B. Mohammed, affirmed the N104.9m claim by the consultants and ordered that they should be paid, but gave KWIRS the leave to defend the N464.8m claim by the consultants.

In affirming the N104.9m claim by the consultants, Justice Mohammed noted that though KWIRS denied engaging the consultants, it had by a letter March 4, 2019 letter admitted owing them the sum of N104.9m for their services.

The judge held, "It is imperative to point out that having admitted (liability) owing the claimants in the said sum N104,908,939.57 and even made proposals as to how to settle the amount of money owed in Exhibit AK-04, the defendant cannot renege on her admission.

"On the whole, judgment be and is hereby entered for claimants in terms of the first leg of the claim in the sum of N104,908,939.57 against the defendants."

On the second claim of N464.8m, the judge said, "The defendant is hereby granted leave to defend the second leg of the claimants claim for the sum of N464,856,418.86."