By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia – The Commercial Court of Liberia authorized the seizure of assets and the arrest of the National Elections Commission’s (NEC) leadership to enforce payment of a $171,105 debt, a financial obligation sources within the commission claim originated from the tenure of former Chairman Jerome Korkoya during the 2017 electoral period.
The writ of execution, issued on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, points out a substantial escalation in a long-standing legal battle. The order commanded the court’s sheriff to seize and sell NEC properties and, if necessary, arrest its current Chairperson, Mrs. Davidetta Brown Lansanah, and her fellow commissioners to compel compliance with the court’s judgment.
According to internal sources at the NEC who spoke on condition of anonymity, the debt stems from services provided by M-TOSH Prints Media, Inc. during the critical 2017 general elections, which were overseen by former Chairman Korkoya. While the debt was incurred under the previous administration, the legal consequences have manifested during the leadership of Mrs. Lansanah, who assumed the role of Chairperson in 2020.
The enforcement of the writ led to a temporary shutdown of the NEC’s headquarters on Tuesday, bringing the commission’s administrative functions to an abrupt halt. The tense standoff was only resolved after behind-the-scenes negotiations resulted in an agreement between the commission and court officers, the specific terms of which remain undisclosed to the public. This agreement allowed for the compound to be reopened, though the fundamental issue of the unpaid judgment remains.
The Order:
The court order, which was approved by His Honour Associate Judge Chan-chan A. Paegar and issued under the seal of the court by Clerk J. Amos F. Gloryan on the 12th day of August 2025, commands the acting sheriff, Emmanuel Morris, to take immediate and severe measures to recover the funds owed to the plaintiff, M-TOSH Prints Media, Inc.
This legal action stems from a lawsuit originally filed during the court’s August Term in 2022, where M-TOSH Prints Media, represented by Mr. Varney A. Fahnbulleh, sued the NEC, which was represented by its Executive Chairperson, Mrs. Davidetta Brown Lansanah, and its Board of Commissioners. The court’s judgment, which was finalized on the 3rd of June 2025, found the NEC liable for the debt, but the commission failed to satisfy the financial obligation, prompting the plaintiff to seek enforcement.
The writ provided a clear and escalating set of instructions for the sheriff, beginning with the command to seize and expose for sale the land, goods, and chattels of the National Elections Commission. It further stipulated that if the proceeds from such a sale are insufficient to cover the full debt plus the expenses of the seizure, the sheriff is then authorized to seize the commission’s real properties until the entire sum of one hundred seventy-one thousand one hundred five United States dollars is raised.
In a stark ultimatum highlighting the court’s seriousness, the order concluded that if no assets could be found, the sheriff was commanded to take the living body of Chairperson Lansannah, her fellow commissioners, and all other authorized officers of the entity before the judge to be dealt with according to the law.
Upon successful collection of the funds, the sheriff was instructed to pay the necessary sum to the management of M-TOSH Prints Media to satisfy the judgment while reserving the court’s costs, and he must then make an official return endorsed on the writ detailing the manner in which the order was served and executed.
As of press time, neither the NEC nor Mrs. Lansannah has issued an official statement addressing the specific allegations about the debt’s origin or detailing the agreement that prevented the asset seizure. Similarly, attempts to reach former Chairman Jerome Korkoya for comment were unsuccessful.
Lansanah‘s Suspension and Return:
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. indefinitely suspended National Elections Commission (NEC) Chairperson Davidetta Browne-Lansanah in January of this year, condemning her unilateral actions as a direct violation of the nation’s Elections Law. This decisive move, communicated via an Executive Mansion press release, culminated a period of intense internal strife at the NEC, which had been rocked by employee protests and escalating accusations of administrative abuse of power.
The suspension was precipitated by an official investigation into grievances from NEC staff, who had publicly demonstrated against a wave of abrupt dismissals and deteriorating working conditions. Investigators found that Browne-Lansanah had acted alone in shuttering the NEC offices for a month and terminating 25 employees, blatantly bypassing the required consultation with the Board of Commissioners.
These actions flouted specific provisions in the Elections Law that vest all critical operational and disciplinary authority in the Board as a collective body, not the Chairperson individually. President Boakai justified the suspension by stating that Browne-Lansanah’s “precipitous and unilateral actions” while an investigative committee was still working had “undermined the integrity and stability of the institution.”
He highlighted the extreme recklessness of destabilizing the Commission on the eve of critical by-elections scheduled for the following two months, framing her conduct as a threat to the electoral timetable itself. This disciplinary action represented the peak of a turbulent tenure marked by internal discord, allegations of financial impropriety, and persistent complaints of autocratic rule, which together had severely tarnished the Commission’s credibility.
However, in a sudden reversal on February 18, 2025, President Boakai reinstated Browne-Lansanah following a high-level conciliatory meeting at the Executive Mansion with the NEC Board, the ECOWAS Ambassador, and senior presidential affairs officials.
Her reinstatement was contingent upon a brokered agreement that included a pledge for enhanced cooperation among the commissioners and the crucial reversal of the controversial employee dismissals.
In lifting the suspension, President Boakai compellingly urged the NEC leadership to embody unity and professionalism, warning them to avoid any public perception of discord and to prioritize restoring harmony with their staff to rebuild the essential public trust in their institution. The National Elections Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Liberia is an autonomous agency in Liberia that supervises the national elections of Liberia.
