By Sallieu S. Kanu
Freetown, May 21, 2026:Prominent lawyer Yada Williams has issued a strong public statement accusing the National Revenue Authority (NRA) of acting unlawfully after officials sealed the offices of his firm, Yada Williams & Associates, on May 20.
According to Williams, the action was carried out despite a High Court injunction obtained earlier that same day, which explicitly prohibited the NRA from sealing the premises. He described the move as “illegal, malicious and in utter contempt of the Court’s order.”
Dispute Over Rental Income Taxes
The NRA claims the enforcement was linked to alleged unpaid rental income taxes on premises owned by Williams, currently leased to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Williams rejected the claim, insisting that under the tenancy agreements signed since 2018, the UNDP deducts all applicable government taxes at source before remitting rent payments. He cited Section 120 of the Income Tax Act 2000 and Section 11 of the Finance Act 2018, which mandate institutional tenants to withhold taxes on rent.
“Only somebody as dumb as a donkey will not appreciate that position of the law,” Williams stated, emphasizing that he has no outstanding tax obligations on the property.
Targeting Wrong Premises
Williams further argued that the NRA acted outside the law by sealing his law offices at Walpole Street instead of the Wilberforce property from which the alleged rental income was derived. He pointed to Section 120(3)(j) of the Income Tax Act, which authorizes enforcement measures only against the premises connected to unpaid rental income.
Strong Condemnation
The lawyer described the NRA’s conduct as “high handed, malicious and devoid of any factual basis,” accusing the institution of attempting to “launder their filthy and stinking image” by using him as a scapegoat. He referenced findings by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that have previously criticized the NRA for mismanagement of public funds.
Williams vowed to challenge the actions of the NRA “within all permissible confines of the law.”