Freetown, 21 May 2026 — A dramatic confrontation unfolded this week between the National Revenue Authority (NRA) and prominent lawyer Yada Hashim Williams after the Authority sealed his law offices over alleged rental income tax liabilities.
The NRA’s Domestic Tax Department announced on May 20 that Williams had failed to settle outstanding rental income taxes from 2019 to 2025, linked to property at Wilberforce leased to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Acting under Section 155A of the Income Tax Act 2000 and Section 50(1) of the Goods and Services Tax Act, officials sealed the Walpole Street offices of Yada Williams & Associates.
In its correspondence, the NRA stressed that tenancy arrangements with UNDP do not exempt landlords from statutory obligations. While UNDP enjoys diplomatic privileges, the Authority argued that such protections do not extend to private property owners. The enforcement notice warned of further measures, including garnishment of bank accounts, travel restrictions, and possible court action, if the liability was not settled.
Williams issued a public statement today May 21, condemning the NRA’s action as “illegal” and “malicious.” He claimed the sealing was carried out in violation of a High Court order obtained earlier that day, which explicitly prohibited such enforcement.
“I emphatically state that I do not owe the NRA any taxes in relation to the rents received from those premises,” Williams declared, insisting that UNDP, as tenant, deducts applicable taxes at source before remitting rent.
He cited tenancy agreements and provisions of the Income Tax Act and Finance Act, which mandate institutional tenants to withhold rental taxes. Williams argued that the NRA wrongly targeted his law offices rather than the Wilberforce property in question, calling the move “high‑handed” and “devoid of any factual basis.”
The clash highlights growing tensions over domestic revenue mobilization. The NRA has emphasized its determination to enforce compliance, warning taxpayers that rental income must be properly declared and taxes paid through the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS).
Williams, meanwhile, vowed to fight what he described as a “braggadocious attempt” to use him as a scapegoat, accusing the Authority of mismanagement and corruption.
