Companies battle over disputed debt

By Robert Egbe Justice Lateefat Folami of an Ikeja High Court will on April 15 commence hearing of a debt dispute between Tata Africa Services Ltd and Jasper Biochemicals and Allied Products Ltd.In the suit, the claimant Tata Africa is seeking N39,088,877 from Jasper Biochemicals being the money allegedly owed it for the purchase of Industrial and food chemicals,But Jasper Biochemicals counter-claimed for N60,371,110 for alleged breach contract of sale of expired, inferior and substandard chemicals, N20million for breach of contract and N23,286,048 as outstanding rent of its warehouse and cost of repairing the warehouse.In its statement of claim, Tata Africa averred that by a local purchase order of September 3, 2018, the defendant Jasper Biochemicals purchased industrial and food chemicals from it worth N44,352,357.59, but only paid marginal part of the sum leaving an outstanding balance of N39,088,877.It said it demanded payment of the debt but the defendant failed to pay up.But in its counter-claim, Jasper Biochemicals denied the claims and sought four reliefs in return.They are: a declaration that Tata Africa is in breach of sale of chemical products of merchantable quality in the sum of N60,371,110 being the cost of chemical purchased in cash from the company which are expired, inferior and substandard;The sum of 17,286,000 being the cost to repair Jasper Biochemicals warehouse which damage was caused as a result of expired chemicals stored in the warehouse;N6,000,048 being the outstanding unpaid rent of the warehouse; Damages in the sum of N20million for breach of contract arising from the loss incurred as a result of sale of unfit and unsellable bad stock of food and industrial chemical Products which were returned by costumers as unsold.
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