Liberia’s Libercell shut down

Liberia’s Libercell, also known as Atlantic Wireless, has been shut down by the Liberian authorities in Monrovia. The shutdown was initiated by the Tax Court at the Temple of Justice and will only be lifted when the company pays $1.4-million in tax arrears. Libercell has also been ordered to pay 6% on the balance of $88 000 due to Liberian Government.

Despite repeated warnings from the government, Libercell failed to comply with the payment stipulations, resulting in court clerk Edwin S. Boimah and Judge Eva Mappy-Morgan signing the closure order late on Monday afternoon.

According to The New Dawn, “Libercell had committed itself to paying in ten instalments of US$1, 837, 407.95 from April 30, 2012 to January 31, 2013, in addition to the immediate 25 percent payment made on the arrears (US$612, 469.32) earlier in February 2012.”

“The company is said to have defaulted on its appeal to the court that it would have made payment on July 23, 2012 since the 25 percent (or US$612, 469.30)payment was done on February 22, 2012.

As a result, the court determined that the total of US$1 Million Dollars is fully paid before Libercell is reopened, thereby setting aside the stipulations on which the company already defaulted,” the publication continued.

Court documents also pointed to the fact that Libercell will only be allowed to start operations again when the full amount has been paid. When the debt to the Tax Court has been settled, the company would have paid a total of roughly $2.4-million to the Liberian government.

Kuwait-based telecom company Hits Africa acquired a majority shareholding Libercell in 2010 as part of a deal to extend and improve the telecommunication services throughout the country.

Staff writer