
LIBERCELL Inc., one of the GSM Companies operating here, Wednesday escaped a payment order for US$2 million issued by the Tax Court because Justice in Chambers, Justice Kabineh M. Ja’neh halted all proceedings in the case.
Tax Court Judge Eva Mappy Morgan ordered LIBERCELL Inc. shut down Monday for failing to pay over US$2 million license owed the Liberia government.
Justice Ja’neh: “Judge Eva Mappy Morgan, you are hereby mandated to stay all proceedings and return this matter to status quo ante pending a conference on Wednesday August 8, 2012 at 10:00am.”
His stay order followed a two- page petition for a writ of prohibition to the Supreme Court expressing defense lawyers’ dissatisfaction in the ruling by Judge Morgan.
LIBERCELL’s defense counsel acknowledged that the company owes the Liberian Government the amount in question, but pleaded that closing the company will pose a serious problem to the institution network because all telecommunications providers in the country are interconnected.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf once expressed concern over LIBERCELL’s failure to pay taxes to government since it began operating here in 2003, and said there is need to investigate the company.