By Joy Odor
The Senate Committee on Customs, Excise, and Tariff has threatened to issue warrant of arrest on Chairman of Yokohama Motors if he decline to appear before it on Thursday.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Francis Alimekhena made the disclosure on Tuesday shortly after the Committee’s meeting in Abuja.
Acccording to the lawmaker, the amount of money involved is about N575 million that he is owing the Federal Government.
The Committee declared that Yokohama Motors is owing Federal Government customs duties worth millions of naira, but when the Committee invited Yokohama Motors to throw light on those millions of naira they have not paid, Yokohama “went to Kanu Agabi Chamber to obtain a letter saying the Committee cannot invite him to the meeting.
”We are not over sighting Yokohama. We are saying he should throw more light on the Custom duty that he evaded.
“Instead of him to pay the money, he is running to various legal practitioners to obtain the letter. We have invited Chairman of Yokohama Motors to appear before us on Thursday unfailingly otherwise we will issue a warrant of arrest” he said.
This comes as Counsel to Yokohama Motors, Mr Kanu Agabi and Associates, represented by Barrister Kanu Oko, insisted that the section of the constitution that gives the Senate their powers only gives them the power when it relates to issues of making laws for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with emphasis laid on section 88 (2) of the constitution.
“I believe if the Chairman of the Committee takes a look at the section just mentioned, they will understand the limits of their power. They feel and have made us understand that the Senate has unfettered powers and that their powers are limitless; they said that to us. But I believe that a court of competent jurisdiction will see to it in good time”.
Kanu said they are seeking legal option because the senate committee cannot take the law into their hands.
