The move comes more than two months after the Commercial Court ruled in favor of M-Tosh on June 3, holding NEC liable for unpaid printing services.
Monrovia-The National Elections Commission (NEC), Liberia’s chief electoral umpire, has once again found itself in the headlines, not for safeguarding democracy but for owing money.
By Willie N. Tokpah
On Tuesday, Sheriffs from the Commercial Court of Liberia stormed the Commission’s Headquarters. They sealed its premises after enforcing a writ of execution to recover a staggering US$171,105.00 owed to a local printing company, M-Tosh Prints Media, Inc.
The writ, signed by Associate Judge Chan-Chan A. Paegar, instructed the court officers to seize NEC’s Assets, and if necessary, haul Chairperson Davidetta Brown Lansanah and her fellow commissioners before the court should the Commission fail to produce enough property to satisfy the judgment.
The move comes more than two months after the Commercial Court ruled in favor of M-Tosh on June 3, holding NEC liable for unpaid printing services.
Yet, in the face of the enforcement action, Madam Lansanah claimed ignorance.
“I have not yet received any document from the court to close the headquarters. I am not aware of this action, but I will check with our legal department to understand the details,” she told journalists on the scene.
NEC’s Troubling Habit of Owing Vendors
This latest humiliation is not an isolated incident. It is part of a troubling pattern.
For nearly a decade, the NEC has been dogged by complaints from contractors and service providers who accuse the commission of reneging on financial commitments.
Following the 2017 Elections, vendors supplying printing, logistics, and technical services complained bitterly that they were left unpaid months after the polls.
Also following the 2020 Senatorial Elections and Referendum, several contractors threatened to boycott future elections, citing crippling debts owed by the NEC for ballot printing and voter roll services.
Furthermore, following the 2023 Elections, reports surfaced that the Commission once again defaulted on payments to suppliers, forcing some to consider legal action.
The M-Tosh case marks an escalation of complaints of over debts owed by NEC.
Never before has NEC’s own headquarters been sealed by the courts over debt.
Credibility on the Line
For an institution charged with ensuring the credibility of elections, the NEC’s repeated inability or refusal to pay its debts raises troubling questions about accountability and financial management
Observers say it undermines public trust and tarnishes the Commission’s image both at home and abroad.
With its offices sealed, staff locked out, and its leadership facing possible summons, NEC risks grinding to a halt at a time when it remains central to managing expected disputes from the Nimba County by-elections
Meanwhile, Liberia’s electoral body, once again, is in the spotlight, not for its constitutional duties, but for behaving like a serial debtor that consistently leaves vendors in financial ruin.
