Okocha finally settles out of court with Lagos internal revenue service

Former Nigeria international, Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha, has reached an out-of-court settlement with Lagos State Government over tax evasion.
State prosecutor, Y. A. Pitan, informed an Igbosere High Court in Lagos of the development on Wednesday.
She told the court that the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) had confirmed that Okocha visited its office and reconciled his accounts.
The former Bolton Wanderers star was accused of income tax evasion since 2017.

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Ms Pitan prayed the court for an adjournment to enable her file a notice of discontinuance of the three-count charge preferred against Okocha.
Justice Adedayo Akintoye, consequently, withdrew the warrant of arrest earlier issued on the defendant.
The case was adjourned until November 14 to enable the prosecution file notice of discontinuance of the charge.

Pitan had on May 28 informed the court that the defendant visited the office of LIRS to reconcile his accounts.
But she said at the time that Okocha could not reach a common ground with the agency.
Okocha had repeatedly failed to appear before the court to give reasons why he failed to pay his income taxes since October 5, 2017, when the case first came up.