The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Friday warned Nigerians evading tax on foreign properties to stop, noting that Federal Government would henceforth prosecute anybody found guilty.
Disclosing this in a statement signed by his Spokesman, Umar Gwandu, Malami also warned banks to desist from further shielding Nigerian citizens, noting that any bank or intermediary that helps a Nigerian citizen to shield such properties would pay a fine which is the equivalent of the cost of the property.
Read the statement below:
“For defaulters who may be tempted to continue concealment of their offshore assets, Executive Order 008 as amended stipulates that any domestic or foreign bank, asset manager or intermediary that cooperates with defaulters, enabling them to conceal offshore assets and obligations pertaining to them shall, upon discovery, be liable to pay to the federal government a penalty on the total of such offshore assets, in addition to other penalties provided for under Nigerian laws or laws of foreign countries from which Nigeria can benefit.
“Executive Order 008 as amended mandates the AGF to set up and implement a voluntary offshore assets regularisation scheme referred to as ‘VOARS’.
“VOARS gives all relevant persons and their intermediaries who have defaulted in the declaration of their offshore assets the opportunity to voluntarily declare and regularise their offshore assets
