₦airaland Forum

The Federal Government has filed a five-count charge against Seplat Petroleum and 12 of its officials for evading the payment of $37.5 million in stamp duties related to their 2010 acquisition of oil assets.

The charges, filed in a Lagos Federal High Court, also include allegations of document forgery involving the Commissioner of Stamp Duties’ seal. The case is set for trial on February 28, 2025.

The charges were filed before a Lagos Federal High Court by a team of prosecutors from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The accused officials, including Roger Brown, Samson Ezugworie, Eleanor Adaralegbe, Effiong Okon, Ayodele Olatunde, Obi Ada Itotoi, Pius Ozoemenah Udeh, Edith Owuchekwa, Chioma Yvonne Afe, Okechukwu Mba, Alasdair Mackenzie, and Steve Ojeh, were alleged to have evaded paying the stamp duty on the executed Purchase Agreement for the acquisition.

The charge stated that Seplat and its officials failed to remit the statutory sum due to the Federal Government of Nigeria, resulting in a total unpaid amount of $37,581,083.40, which included both the original stamp duty and accruing interest.

The charges, as outlined in the court documents, accuse Seplat Petroleum and its officials of multiple violations, including failing to pay the stamp duty on the executed purchase agreements and evading payment of other duties, fines, and penalties due to the government.

The sum, due and payable to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is alleged to have been unlawfully withheld during the acquisition of the oil assets in 2010.

These actions are in breach of the Stamp Duties Act and carry serious penalties under Sections 111 and 112 of the Act.

In addition to the failure to pay the required stamp duty, the defendants were also accused of counterfeiting the seal of the Commissioner of Stamp Duties.

The charge alleged that they inserted the forged seal onto the purchase agreements for OML 4, OML 38, and OML 41 in order to falsely validate the documents and avoid paying the required taxes.

This act of counterfeiting is punishable under Section 43(c) of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Establishment Act.

The charges against Seplat Petroleum and the 12 individuals have drawn attention to the company’s dealings and its compliance with Nigerian tax laws.

The case has been scheduled for trial on February 28, 2025, where the accused will face legal consequences for their alleged involvement in tax fraud and document falsification.

Forumites:
They don start!! They go soon invite zenco. Our government is discouraging

kettykin:
All igbos with business turn over above $100m should invest part if the money outside the country to avoid stories that touches the heart.

I have noticed how certain people from a certain part of the country work very hard to frustrate igbo businesses that are scaling. Businesses like landmark, airpeace and Seplat has faced lots if persecution from APC-led regime from 2015

kettykin:
All igbos with business turn over above $100m should invest part if the money outside the country to avoid stories that touches the heart.

I have noticed how certain people from a certain part of the country work very hard to frustrate igbo businesses that are scaling. Businesses like landmark, airpeace and Seplat has faced lots if persecution from APC-led regime from 2015

kettykin:
All igbos with business turn over above $100m should invest part if the money outside the country to avoid stories that touches the heart.

I have noticed how certain people from a certain part of the country work very hard to frustrate igbo businesses that are scaling. Businesses like landmark, airpeace and Seplat has faced lots if persecution from APC-led regime from 2015

Forumites:
You got what I was talking about. If Ibeto was allowed to compete with Dangote by now we won’t be paying so much on food and cement.

They’re coming for the offline billionaires….

kettykin:
All igbos with business turn over above $100m should invest part if the money outside the country to avoid stories that touches the heart.

I have noticed how certain people from a certain part of the country work very hard to frustrate igbo businesses that are scaling. Businesses like landmark, airpeace and Seplat has faced lots if persecution from APC-led regime from 2015

EmperorCaesar:
When didnt they frustrate Innoson?

Crafteck1, come and preach your preaching to this man that choose tribalize a neutral story

IGBOPROMISE1:
You forgot to mention INNOSON! They also wanted to use that useless product review by that idiotic woman to launch another offensive against ERISCO, but that one seems to have fizzled out!

zero8zero:
Victim mentality no go Kee una. Airpeace that's given approval to fly new routes, and busy shinning teeth with Kenyamo. Is it SEPLAT that just recently bought ExxonMobil that is being frustrated?. Igbo businesses should keep evading taxes and forging Government documents like criminals, is that what you're encouraging?

zero8zero:
Erisco & Chioma are both igbos.. You see how silly you sound. This is the victim mentality your kids will inherit from all of una?.. shame!

IGBOPROMISE1:
Anybody that doesn’t know the full story of Nigeria and the anti-Igbo stance of those who have controlled Nigeria for the most part since independence, will think you’re actually being reasonable! They just need to take a look at your post history to know you can NEVER mean well for the Igbo!

IGBOPROMISE1:
Fool, did i tell you i didn’t know she’s Igbo!? You vile bigots take any advantage or opening you can get to further your anti-Igbo campaign! In that case, you just used the idiotic remarks of one unsuspecting Igbo to try and get at the thriving business of another!

zero8zero:
Victim mentality no go Kee una. Airpeace that's given approval to fly new routes, and busy shinning teeth with Kenyamo. Is it SEPLAT that just recently bought ExxonMobil that is being frustrated?. Igbo businesses should keep evading taxes and forging Government documents like criminals, is that what you're encouraging?

TimeManager:
https://thestreetjournal.org/seplat-energy-ceo-11-top-executives-face-37-5m-tax-evasion-suit-by-fg/

chisomkachy:
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s first supplementary budget includes a fleet of SUVs for himself and his wife, a presidential yacht and the renovation of his villa amid a cost-of-living crisis for some of the poorest people in the world.

The proposal — which seeks additional funding beyond the annual budget approved by Tinubu’s predecessor — comes as the government asks Nigerians to persevere through pain caused in part by a raft of economic reforms ushered in by the new president. Africa’s most populous country faces rampant unemployment, soaring food prices and a plummeting currency.

Federal lawmakers approved the president’s request for extra spending on Thursday, but eliminated the provision of 5 billion naira ($6.01 million) to buy a presidential yacht. Instead, they doubled the allocation to a student loan fund to 10 billion naira, according Abubakar Bichi, chairman of an appropriations committee in the House of Representatives.

The lawmakers approved 1.5 billion-naira proposed to purchase SUVs for the office of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu — an amount larger than that allocated to many individual federal colleges. The supplementary budget also proposes almost 6 billion naira to purchase SUVs for the presidency — more than the amount initially allocated to fund a student loan program for poor families.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-02/nigeria-budgets-for-suvs-and-yachts-amid-economic-hardship

Forumites:
They don start!! They go soon invite zenco. Our government is discouraging

IGBOPROMISE1:
Anybody that doesn’t know the full story of Nigeria and the anti-Igbo stance of those who have controlled Nigeria for the most part since independence, will think you’re actually being reasonable! They just need to take a look at your post history to know you can NEVER mean well for the Igbo!

kettykin:
All igbos with business turn over above $100m should invest part of the money outside the country to avoid stories that touches the heart.

I have noticed how certain people from a certain part of the country work very hard to frustrate igbo businesses that are scaling. Businesses like landmark, airpeace and Seplat has faced lots if persecution from APC-led regime from 2015

anonimi:
What is the purpose of the increased tax revenue that is not showing in improved government services and utilities plus infrastructure maintenance?

Are hardworking taxpayers meant to suffer while T-Pain and other government officials enjoy more luxury

kettykin:
All igbos with business turn over above $100m should invest part of the money outside the country to avoid stories that touches the heart.

I have noticed how certain people from a certain part of the country work very hard to frustrate igbo businesses that are scaling. Businesses like landmark, airpeace and Seplat has faced lots if persecution from APC-led regime from 2015

Forumites:
They don start!! They go soon invite zenco. Our government is discouraging