The National Revenue Authority (NRA) has sealed the office of prominent lawyer Yadda Hashim Williams at Walpole Street in Freetown over alleged unpaid rental income tax liabilities spanning several years.

The action is connected to a property at Wilberforce reportedly rented by the United Nations Development Programme (United Nations Development Programme), with the NRA alleging that rental income taxes from 2019 to 2025 remain outstanding.

According to the Authority, the enforcement measure follows repeated notices issued to the landlord to settle the arrears before a final deadline of May 15, 2026. With no payment reportedly made by the deadline, officials proceeded to seal the premises.

The NRA emphasized that while diplomatic privileges apply to international organisations such as UNDP, such protections do not extend to private property owners who earn taxable rental income from those arrangements.

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Officials further warned that continued non-compliance could trigger additional enforcement actions, including bank account garnishment, travel restrictions, court proceedings, and possible public disclosure of defaulters’ identities.

The Authority stressed that the move is part of broader efforts to strengthen tax compliance within the property rental sector, which has been identified as a significant source of revenue leakage.

It urged all landlords across the country to ensure proper declaration of rental income and full compliance with existing tax laws, warning that enforcement actions will continue against individuals who fail to meet their obligations.