JUST IN: Court Strikes Out MTN’s N3bn Suit Against FG

The Federal High Court, Lagos has struck out a N3 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, against the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke struck out the suit Thursday after the court was informed about the decision of the Attorney General of the Federation to withdraw a letter to the company demanding N2 billion alleged unremitted tax.

MTN Nigeria had filed a suit challenging the letter, which was served to it in 2018.

Mrs. Habibat Ajana, counsel to the AGF, had drawn the judge’s attention to a January 8, 2020, letter by the AGF to MTN, in which the former said he had reviewed the issue and had decided to withdraw the demand letter.

Responding, Chief Wole Olanipekun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and counsel to MTN Nigeria, said with the withdrawal letter from the AGF, his client would drop its suit.

Consequently, the judge struck out the suit.

In the suit, MTN Nigeria had prayed the court to award N3bn against the AGF for rights infringement.

Olanipekun had argued that in writing the demand letter to MTN, AGF Malami acted beyond his powers and violated the provisions of Section 36 of the constitution on fair hearing with “the purported revenue assets investigation” he carried out on the firm’s activities covering 2007 to 2017.

The court had, in a May 8 ruling, dismissed the AGF’s preliminary objection to the suit.