Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) is facing a tough situation with the Debt Court of Montserrado County after acknowledging a debt of US$364,322 to a Swedish engineering firm, ELTEL Network. According to the court, the total liability now stands at US$415,327.08, following the addition of statutory interest, legal fees, and court costs to the principal judgment amount of US$364,322.
The breakdown includes US$21,859.32 interest at six percent per annum, US$7,286.44 in attorney’s fees, and US$21,859.32 in court costs. The court ordered LEC to pay the full amount immediately, following a hearing on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Prior to the court’s decision, LEC opted to make a down payment of 25% (US$103,831.77) but fell short of filing a motion for a payment plan as agreed with ELTEL Network.
LEC’s troubles deepened when ELTEL Network’s lawyers seized the opportunity and filed a request for a payment order that was immediately granted. The court enforced the full judgment of US$415,327, leaving LEC to face criticism for its handling of the case. The court’s payment order dated February 4, under the signature of Hoses Nelson, Assistant Clerk indicated, “Upon receipt of this payment order, you are hereby ordered, and instructed to make immediate payment to the Sheriff of the Debt Court for Montserrado County, the full amount of USS415,327.08(FOUR HUNDRED FIFTEEN THOUSAND, THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-SEVEN UNITED STATES DOLLARS, EIGHT CENTS), representing full payment of the Judgment sum in the case captioned supra.”
It adds, “His Honor Judge James Jones further directs that, your failure to make payment of the said amount, this Court will have no other alternative but to enforce its Judgment by Writ of Execution.”
The document noted, “The Sheriff of this Court is hereby further commanded to make his official returns endorsed on the back of this Payment Order as to the form and manner of service.” The debt stems from a 2016 supply contract under which ELTEL Network provided LEC with low-voltage (LV) electrical materials, widely used in power distribution systems, control rooms, lighting infrastructure, and security networks.
The dispute between LEC and ELTEL Network has been ongoing for nearly a decade, with both parties making claims and counterclaims over electrical materials supplied under a 2016 agreement. Court records also reveal that ELTEL made repeated attempts to settle the matter amicably. Between 2019 and 2020, the company reportedly offered to accept a direct payment of US$360,000, effectively waiving more than US$74,000 in outstanding claims. Those overtures, according to ELTEL, went unanswered.
In a January 1, 2020, letter to the then LEC Chief Executive Officer, assumed to be Monie Captan, ELTEL reminded the corporation of earlier commitments to settle the debt. When no response came, the company said it had no option but to seek legal redress.
The court’s decision puts LEC in a precarious position, and the corporation’s lawyers are facing criticism for their handling of the case. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for LEC’s financial situation and its operations.
