Taxman Goes After Shafee Over Rm9 41m Alleged Arrears

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The taxman has gone to court to recover RM9.41 million in alleged tax arrears from Najib Abdul Razak’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
The lawyer’s counsel Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee today confirmed that the Inland Revenue Board filed the tax suit at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Farhan said the tax suit was listed in the e-filing system last week.
“But he (Shafee) has not seen the writ of SOC (statement of claim of the tax suit),” Farhan said when contacted by Malaysiakini today.
Malaysiakini is also in the midst of getting a response from Shafee (above) over the matter.
Shafee, who represents Najib in multiple ongoing 1MDB-linked criminal cases, himself is facing an ongoing money laundering case involving RM9.5 million that the lawyer was alleged to have received from the former prime minister.
In September 2018, Shafee was charged with two counts of money laundering and two counts of making false statements linked to the purported RM9.5 million.
According to the cause papers filed by the IRB on May 6, the government is seeking alleged tax arrears for the assessment years 2011 to 2014 and 2016.
The government, the plaintiff in the legal action, is seeking a total of RM9,414,708.32, which was calculated from the assessment years as well as incurred penalties from alleged non-payment of the arrears.
The plaintiff also seeks interest on the RM9.41 million calculated at five percent from the date of judgment to date of full realisation; costs; and any other relief deemed fit by the court.
According to the online cause list at ecourtservices.kehakiman.gov.my, the tax suit is fixed for case management before the Kuala Lumpur High Court Registry on June 8. - Mkini

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