The
Civil Law Court has with immediate effect has closed down two radio
stations upon the request of the Liberia Telecommunication Authority
(LTA) reportedly based on their alleged refusal to regularize their
status.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information
regular press briefing, the acting head of the LTA, Henry Benson
disclosed that the closure of these two radio stations is in line to
their continual to pay their taxes to the Liberian Government as
required by law, and further said more radio stations to follow in the
shortest possible time.
Mr. Benson also said his entity will not
allow media houses that are in the habit of criticizing the Liberian
Government on their respective airwaves without being balanced in its
reportage and denying the Liberian Government of its needed revenue
intake.
“People continue to take the airwaves
without any regard; LTA sees that as a clear violation, for which the
LTA was established by law to regulate and will continue to do so. We
have effectively shut down a radio station, beginning with Voice FM
102.7 and more to come, because we have to show that there is law and
order in Liberia,” he declared.
Commissioner Benson said 102.7 frequency
was legitimately secured in 2012 by Liberia Web Radio, a non-commercial
station which fulfilled all the requirements to operate in Liberia.
Woods Nyanton, Co-host of the Costa Show
on Voice FM, told the Daily Observer in an exclusive interview that the
LTA was in an error to disclose that the organization is operating
without permit.
He said the Ministry of Information has
set up a difficult process just to ensure that we don’t get a permit and
the LTA needed to clearly tell the people of Liberia that, despite
efforts made and readiness demonstrated by Voice FM to pay the require
tax to government, the Ministry of Information has decided not give
permit to Voice FM.
“We are in partnership with the Liberia
Web Radio, the official owner of the frequency of 102.7 and there are
legal documents to prove that. We have been behind the government to
regularize our status but MICAT has set up a difficult process because
we are critical of the government and the people of Liberia can attest
to that,” Mr. Nyanton said.
According to Benson, LTA has noticed
over the years that people have come with no regard for the LTA and the
Ministry of Information who are responsible to give clearances for
establishing radio stations.
“We at the LTA do not have the authority
to close or shut down stations,” Benson said. “We made our case to the
Justice Ministry, who scrutinized our processes and saw merit in our
case to clear the airwaves of stations operating without proper assigned
frequencies. This is a national security measure. This is also a
measure to make available scarce frequency to applicants who follow the
right procedure,” Commissioner Benson said.
He explained that after going through
couple of years of regularizing the country’s airwaves, most especially
radio stations and television stations, the LTA has asked the Ministry
of Justice through the court to shut down some radio stations and
television stations.
“It doesn’t mean well for anyone to come
from anywhere and open a radio station and say anything he or she wants
to say without any authorization from the regulating body of the
government,” he said.
“All we ask is, make sure that your
station is regularized, because you are responsible for what you say,
despite by law and by the objective of journalism,” Benson said, adding
that, “We have come here to inform you that LTA is the institution
established by this government to manage and effectively look after in
terms of superintending the airwaves we enjoy. Every communication in
this country, including radio stations, television stations and
everything that have to do with communication be regulated by LTA.”
In addition to the closure, the Civil Law Court summoned Voice FM for declaratory judgment to appear later this month.
The writ of summons said “You are hereby
commanded to appear before the Civil Law Court to answer to the
petition of the above-named in petition of declaratory judgment. To
notify the respondent that upon their failure to do so, judgment will be
rendered by default against them.”
According to him, after few hours, one
of the sheriffs and other men wearing plain clothes entered the Voice FM
facility and took away some materials belonging to the station, using a
white pickup. The two radio station been ordered closed down by the
Civil Law Court upon the orders of the LTA are owned by Businessman and
politician Benoni Urey who is the owner of the Love Radio and TV, while
the Voice FM is owned by Mr. Henry Costa.
Mr. Costa is currently in the United
States where he has always appeared on his local talk show ‘The Henry
Costa Show’ via the internet.
Source : GNN
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