Emmanuel Kehinde, Ilorin
A High court in Kwara
State presided over by Justice E.B. Mohammed has ordered
the Kwara
State Internal Revenue Ser
vice to pay Mazars Consulting N104,908,939.57 for recovery of professional fees, remuneration and or commission.
The claimants,
which are Mr. Adeyemi Sanni Sheriff, Mrs. Adedoyin Sanni and Mr. Bamidele Ogunlowo under Mazars Consulting, had approached
the court and sought some releifs.
The reliefs include: Payment of N104,908,939,57 (One Hundred and Four Million, Nine Hundred and Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Thirty Nine Naira, Fifty Seven Kobo) being
the sum due as commissions for services rendered to
the defendants by
the claimants.
The consulting firm also demanded
the payment of N464,856,418.86 being
the sum due as commission for services rendered to
the defendants by
the cliaimants.
In all , Mazars consulting prayed for
the payment of N569,765,358.43 (Five Hundred and Sixty Nine Million, Seven Hundred and Sixty Five Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty Eight Naira, Forty Three Kobo) representing unpaid commission said to be legitimately due to and or owed to
the firm by
the defendant (KWIRS) for servicess Mazars Consulting rendered to KWIRS.
The firm had claimed that
the KWIRS had failed to pay them
the agreed commission and or remuneration in respect of professional seervices they rendered. Mazars Consulting also told
the court that it had engaged services in tax collection, tax audit, tax consulting and tax advisory services
which was assigned to them by
the Kwara
State Public Private Partnership office (KP3) on behalf of
the KWIRS.
Delivering ruling, a copy of
which was made available to journalists on Sunday,
the judge orderd KWIRS to pay to Mazars Consulting
the first relief sought for.
He said, “I find and hold that having admitted
the first leg of
the claimants’ claim,
the defendant has no defense to this leg of
the action. On
the whole, judgement be and is hereby entered for claimants in terms of
the first eg of their claim in
the sum of N104,908,939.57 against
the defendant.(Four Hundred and Sixty Four Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighteen Naira, Eighty Six Kobo)
On
the second claim of N464,856,418.86 (Four Hundred and Sixty Four Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Four Hundred and Eighteen Naira, Eighty Six Kobo),
the judge granted
the KWIRS leave to defend it.
He said, “
The defendants is hereby granted leave to defend
the second leg of
the claimants’s claim.
“Accordingly,
the defendant is hereby granted leave to defend
the second eg of
the claimant’s claim for
the sum of N464,856,418.86.
*Consequently, pleadings are hereby ordered 14 days by 14 days and 7 days for a reply/counter-claim, if any.”