The "Blade" star, who was convicted in 2008 on charges that he failed to file income tax returns during a three-year period, was released last Tuesday from a federal prison in Pennsylvania, according to The Associated Press

Snipes, 50, is now under home confinement, which will be overseen by the New York Community Corrections Office, until July 19.

The actor served 28 months of his three-year sentence.

Snipes entered prison in December 2010 after being convicted of tax evasion. He belonged to a group that challenged the government's right to collect taxes. Prosecutors say he failed to file returns for at least a decade and owed millions in back taxes. He lost his appeal in an Atlanta court.

Snipes has appeared in dozens of films, from "White Men Can't Jump" and "Demolition Man" in the early 1990s to the "Blade" trilogy.

I wonder if things like this can happen in Nigeria where some people are above the law, at least for some times. Most of our Rich and celebrated people in Nigeria break law with impunity and go without being punished.