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Tag: Mr Ade Ipaye

  • Ipaye: Fight corruption through effective tax administration

    Ipaye: Fight corruption through effective tax administration

    An effective tax administration system will help in the detection of economic crimes, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Ade Ipaye, has said.

    According to him, in modern systems, tax administration is increasingly being used to detect corruption and other economic crimes in addition to enforcing tax laws.

    Ipaye taught tax law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) before he joined the Lagos State Government as Special Adviser on Taxation and later served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

    He spoke in Lagos during a dinner/lecture in honour of former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Branch chairman Mr Chijioke Okoli, who was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

    The event was organised by “Friends of Chijioke Okoli” in collaboration with NBA Lagos Branch and an association of Igbo lawyers, the Otu Oka-Iwu (Law Society).

    Decrying tax evasion, Ipaye referred to a Joint Tax Board report which states that only about 10 million people are registered for Personal Income Tax in all the states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    “Out of this, 4.6 million (or 46 per cent) are in Lagos State. If you juxtapose that against the 77 million workforce which the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics has declared to be in existence in Nigeria, you can clearly see how far down we are and how a sharp decline in the price and volume of our exported crude oil can be so devastating to the economy,” Ipaye said.

    Ipaye backed the view that a multi-agency approach to fighting tax and financial crimes, including corruption, is the best recourse for a government seeking to make corruption more difficult to hide.

    He said: “The rationale is quite simple. Tax examiners are often highly trained forensic accountants or auditors or financial investigators with an ability to follow money trails, whether legal or illegal.

    “They are, therefore, well-placed to detect and report unexplained increases in wealth or suspicious transactions that could constitute a bribe.

    “Furthermore, the proceeds of corruption are also, quite invariably, subject of tax evasion, and this correlation can help in law enforcement. In most cases, wealth acquired illegally would not have been subjected to tax, even though it is not tax exempt.

    “Thus, even where illegality is difficult to prove, tax evasion and money laundering are usually easy (The famous Chicago drug baron, Al Capone (Alphonse Gabriel) was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment even when it was difficult to prove his drug dealing and other criminal activities). This demonstrates the potentials of taxation as a means of checking corruption.”

    According to him, with greater cooperation between tax collection and anti-corruption agencies, tax examiners and inspectors can be placed in a better position to report suspicious activities to the relevant agency to take further action.

    Ipaye believes corruption in the tax system acts as a major hindrance to sustainable economic growth as it deters well-meaning and capable long-term investors, thereby killing industries before they become viable.

    “In this sense, corruption leads to the erosion of the future tax revenue base of a country, thereby impacting future tax revenue collection,” he said.

  • Lagos sentences 1,154 offenders to community service

    Lagos sentences 1,154 offenders to community service

    Lagos State government has sentenced 1,154 offenders to various terms of community service across the twelve magisterial districts between August 2012 and March 2013.

    Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said the introduction of non-custodian sentences like community service, probation and restitution was geared towards decongesting prison and minimise the effect of imprisonment on individuals and their families.

    He said many of the offenders are between the ages of 20 and 40 and are mostly male, adding that the government has succeeded in decongesting the prison system without compromising the criminal justice administration system.

    Ipaye explained that without the provision of community service for these offenders they would have been incarcerated in prison with the consequential disruption in their economic, social and family lives.

    He added that the community service unit established in furtherance of the implementation of the Criminal Justice Law has become fully operational, adding that training session are organised for magistrates and field officers.

    The commissioner also revealed that in the period under review, the High Court Law of Lagos State was amended to empower the Chief Judge to make rules regulating the practice and procedures in the High Court.

    “With this development, we have demonstrated our commitment to improving the access of our people to Justice.” adding that in the exercise of this power, the new High Court of Lagos State Rules 2012 were made.

    He said the highlight of the rules is the introduction of mandatory alternative dispute resolution which is aimed at assisting litigants to resolve their disputes in the shortest possible time without rancour.

    Ipaye said other legal instrument of the state which impacted positively in the lives of Lagosians is the Land Use Act (title Documentation) regulations. “the Regulations were issued by this administration as a novel mechanism to curb the practice of parties to land transactions entered into after the commencement date of Land Use act applying for certificates of Occupancy using receipts or other documents which are backdated or forged to create the impression that their transaction predated the Act.”

    On the Law reform commission, he said the commission has developed a comprehensive sentencing guidelines Bill, which will provide statutory framework for sentencing of offenders in the state.

    “Other law which the commission is currently working on include the law reform (Contract )law-1961, Law Reform (Tort)Law-1961 and sale of Goods Law-1958.” stressing that the provisions of these laws have become somewhat inadequate to meet the challenges of modern day Lagos State.

  • Cynthia Osokogu: Hotel receptionist admits lying to the police

    Cynthia Osokogu: Hotel receptionist admits lying to the police

    Miss Vivian Amuneke, a receptionist at Cosmilla Hotel, Festac Town, Lagos, where Cynthia Osokogu was murdered, on Friday confessed that she lied to the police after the corpse was discovered.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Amuneke made the confession while testifying before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja at the resumed trial of four men allegedly involved in the murder.

    The defendants; Okwumo Nwabufo (33), Olisaeloka Ezike (23), Orji Osita (33) and Ezike Nonso (25) were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on February 8.

    They were charged by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on six counts bordering on conspiracy, murder, stealing, reckless negligence and possession of stolen goods.

    The prosecution alleged that 25-year-old Osokogu was murdered at the hotel on July 22 last year by Nwabufo and Ezike, whom she had met through a social networking site, Facebook.

    Osita, the third defendant, was charged for negligently selling the Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablets which was allegedly used to drug the deceased.

    Nonso, the man who allegedly bought Osokogu’s stolen Blackberry Bold 5, was charged for being in possession of a stolen phone.

    However, testifying on Friday, Amuneke told the court that she booked Room 1C, where Osokogu was killed to Nwabufo and Ezike, with a “used” receipt.

    The 28-year-old witness who was led in evidence by Lagos State Attorney General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said she lied twice in her statements to the police in order to conceal her fraudulent act.

    She explained that the room was earlier booked by a couple who had checked-out early but she resold it to the defendants instead of declaring it vacant to the hotel management.

    Amuneke said:”The money paid by the second defendant (Ezike) who gave his name to me as John, was shared by me and the porter, Oscar.

    “Since the room has already been paid for by the couple who left, I issued a used receipt to the second defendant.”

    “I later lied to the police that I gave them the room because Nwabufo had told me that he was related to the couple that had checked-out.

    “I told them this because I was scared but the truth is that I resold the room and failed to remit the money to the hotel’s account.”

    She further told the court that Nwabufo later went upstairs to the room accompanied by a female guest, who was tall and slim, at about 10 pm.

    “I did not really see her face because she was busy pinging with her phone but I know that she was tall and slim”, the witness said.

    Amuneke said she was relieved the next morning by her colleague, Mrs. Ifeanyinwa Njegbu and she went home.

     

  • Suspected killers of Cynthia arraigned in court

    Suspected killers of Cynthia arraigned in court

    Four persons suspected to have killed Cynthia Osokogu were on Tuesday arraigned before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja.

    They are Okwumo Nwabufo, Ezike Olisaeloka, Orji Osita and Ezike Nonso.

    The suspects were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on a six- count charge of murder, stealing and possession of stolen property.

    However, their trial could not proceed as planned as counsels to the defendants in the matter told the court that they were not properly served with the court processes.

    Olu Kayode, the counsel to the second and fourth defendants, also told the court that the statements of his clients were not included in the amended charge.

    The prosecution team led by the Lagos State Attorney General, Mr. Ade Ipaye, admitted to the mix up in serving the processes to one of the defence counsel but promised to immediately resolve the issue.

    The presiding judge, Justice Olabisi Akinlade subsequently adjourned the matter to February 8 for commencement of trial.

    The matter came up earlier in January but was similarly adjourned because one of the defendants, Osita was not in court

    Presenting its case before the court, the state alleged that two of the suspects, Okwumo and Ezike on or about July 22, 2012 at Cosmilla Hotel, Amuwo-Odofin, Festac Town, conspired to murder Cynthia.

    The state alleged that the suspects murdered Cynthia by administering Rohypnol Flunitrazepan tablet into her drink, chained her hands and legs and strangled her to death.

    The duo were also alleged to have stolen three blackberry phones valued at N150,000, Jewelries, an international passport and a drivers licence belonging to the victim after they strangled her to death.

     

  • Magistrate court coming for Alimosho

    The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State , Mr Ade Ipaye, has said a magistrate court would be established in the area.

    Ipaye spoke at the maiden annual Law Week Summit organised by Alimosho Lawyer’s Forum at the Samkoll Garden, Ikotun, Lagos .

    The summit entitled: Lagos State Traffic Law 2012-Practicability and enforceability brought together lawyers, academia, community heads, and law enforcement agents

    According to her, the establishment of a magistrate court in Alimosho area is a decision of the state government to bring justice closer to the residents in the area.

    Ipaye, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Accredited International Mediator, Mrs. Sedoten Ogunsanya said that the need for a magistrate court in Alimosho have been an issue of concern to the state government and “we are working hard at getting it done”.

    Ogunsanya advised motorists in Lagos state to comply with the new traffic law which was enacted in the interest of the security of lives and properties in the state.

    “We have had increasing cases of death and injury orchestrated by motorcyclists who do not understand traffic signs, thus exposing their passengers to untimely death”, she said.

    In his goodwill message, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, restated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force in the enforcement of the new traffic law in Lagos .

    He said that the Lagos State Police Command is resolve and determined to enforce the new law without any form of intimidation.

    Also speaking the guest lecturer from the University of Lagos , at the event, Dr. Adeola Sanni lauded the new traffic law which he said “is a timely intervention to help address the growing challenges of pre-existing traffic laws which was outmoded and obsolete.

    Sanni said that the new law is in the good interest of the Lagosian worthy of commendation but should be open to constant engagement of the people for the practicability of the enforcement.

    In her welcome address, the Chairman of Alimosho Lawyer Forum, Barrister Derin Kappo who lauded the proposed establishment of the Magistrate Court in Alimosho said that justice will now be closer to the people as matters will be swiftly disposed of as justice delayed is justice denied.

    “The government will restore the confidence of the people in the existence of justice for all and reduce the tendency to resort to self help and jungle justice wt the establishment of High court in the area” she said.

    Kappo added that the present of both Magistrate and High courts in Alimosho will create employment opportunities and boost the economic activities with the resultant increase in revenue for government in form of taxes.