By Stephanie M. Duncan
The National Elections Commission (NEC), still in the throes of legal woos, has been given two weeks ultimatum by the Commercial Court of Liberia to settle a judgment debt in a contempt proceeding initiated by M-TOSH Print Media, Inc.
During proceedings before Associate Judge Chan-Chan A. Paegar, lawyers representing the NEC pleaded with the court to purge the contempt citation and allow the Commission additional time to complete the payment process.
Judge Paegar granted the request, giving the NEC until July 28, 2026, to fully satisfy the judgment debt.
The court, however, warned that failure to comply with the deadline will result in the issuance of a writ of arrest against the NEC Chairperson, Commissioners, Executive Director, and Controller.
Based on the undertaking made by the Commission’s legal counsel, the court ordered that the contempt citation against the NEC officials be purged, contingent upon the Commission’s compliance with the payment deadline.
The latest court action follows an earlier legal dispute in May 2026, when the Commercial Court ordered the temporary shutdown of the NEC over the same unpaid judgment debt owed to M-TOSH Print Media, Inc.
The company, which provided election materials to the Commission, argued that despite repeated demands and previous court interventions, the NEC had failed to honor its payment obligations.
At the time, the vendor maintained that the Commission had repeatedly disregarded court orders enforcing the judgment. The shutdown disrupted the NEC’s operations until its legal team, along with an Oversight Commissioner, appeared before the Commercial Court seeking relief and permission for the institution to resume normal operations while efforts were made to address the outstanding debt.
The current ruling signals that the court is prepared to take stronger enforcement measures if the Commission again fails to comply with its legal obligations by the July 28 deadline.
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