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            A 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.