Ground Rent: Court Backs DeWayles International Limited, Slams N500, 000 On DTSG

A High Court in Warri, Delta State, has upturned the exparte order that was obtained by the Delta State Revenue Board against DeWayles International Limited for being unconstitutional.

The court also slammed a N500, 000 fine on the state government.

The court ruled that the action of the revenue service was unlawful for not giving the claimant fair hearing.

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The judge, Justice V. O. Agboje, held that the firm was not granted fair hearing before the warrant to seal its office was given.

“The ex-parte order of the Delta State Revenue Court is hereby thrown out and the sum of N500, 000.00 is hereby awarded as cost against the Delta State Government in favour of DeWayles International Limited,” she ruled.

The Board had dragged the firm before the revenue court without its knowledge over allegation that it was owing Delta State Government the sum of N40, 792,000.00 as ground rent for the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the year ended 2016 and 2017.

Officers of Delta State Internal Revenue Service had on October 5, 2021, besieged the premises of the firm and sealed off its head office in Effurun-Warri after a forceful evacuation of all staff, workers and visitors to the firm.

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