Monrovia – The Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice on Friday, July 29, formally shutdown the Voice FM Radio Station of one of Liberia’s lead political commentators Mr. Henry Costa.
Report by Kennedy L. Yangian – [email protected]
The court’s presiding Judge, Yussif Kaba, reached the decision after denying and dismissing a motion filed by lawyers representing the station on July 4, asking the court to lift a preliminary injunction placed on the station.
In his ruling Judge Kaba said the ruling followed a careful perusal of a preliminary injunction on the station’s operation by state lawyers through the Liberia Telecommunications Authority, LTA and the Ministry of Justice.
Judge Kaba noted that he was acting on facts gathered that the telecommunications regulatory agency, LTA, did not issue any license in the name of Voice FM 102.7 for the operation of radio communication equipment or for use of frequency 102.7.
He said the court was of the opinion that the injunctive order requested by state lawyers ought to be maintained pending the outcome of the main declaratory judgment proceeding against the Voice FM.
“Wherefore and in view of the foregoing, the court hereby denies and dismisses the motion to vacate the preliminary injunction and by that, hereby makes permanent the injunction issued until the outcome of the petition for a declaratory judgment” he said.
Montserrado County Attorney Daku Mulbah leading a team of state lawyers on behalf of the LTA and the Ministry of Justice, early July petitioned the court for an injunction and a declaratory judgment; seeking for the station to be shutdown, on grounds that it had hijacked the frequency of another radio station, Web FM.
ccording to the LTA the license and frequency was given to Web radio for only a year to operate and was not to be transferred or given out to another station or ownership as the station did in violation of the LTA act.
Meanwhile, Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, lead lawyer representing the Voice FM have excepted to the ruling on the motion for injunction and now awaiting the outcome of the second motion for declaratory judgment which also currently before the court.
The station’s lawyers have denied that the Voice FM 102.7 hijacked the frequency of Web Radio, indicating that there was a change of leadership of the Web Radio where the LTA was informed as well as the Ministry of Information where bills were prepared and the Voice FM Management paid saying it was the Ministry of Information that failed to give the Voice FM permit.
The station’s lawyers also argued that during the closure of the station by court officers, an amount of US$800, 00 and LD$30,000 and a laptop were taken away by the court officers, a claim the Judge has promised to investigate shortly.
Following the ruling, the defunct Voice FM 102.7 station’s manager Henry Costa told hundreds of sympathizers he was highly disappointed.
Addressing his supporters outside of the court under a heavy downpour, Costa indicated that the ruling was no surprise to him saying the court is not a place of justice.
“You can take your frequency but not our talk show, let me assure every Liberian by Monday morning at 7: am; the Costa Show will be live on another station FM 105. What I wish to ask the court now is that they should give back our equipment” said Costa amid applauses from his sympathizers.