Monrovia, Liberia – Wilmot Smith, the fired Deputy Director General for Information Coordination at the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), won his case in the Monrovia Civil Law Court, which mandated that the Liberian government reinstate him and reimburse him for all of his unpaid benefits.
Judge George Wah-Harris Smith delivered the court’s decision on Friday, January 3, and it also ruled that Smith’s 2023 termination by former President George Weah was unlawful and unconstitutional.
The court mandated that the present government, headed by President Joseph Boakai, make sure that Smith receives all of his back salary, perks, and allowances that have been due since he was removed from office.
Smith was fired due to claims of financial mismanagement involving enumerator funds. The claims, which were extensively reported on Spoon TV and connected to LISGIS account statements purportedly obtained by Yussif Kromah, an employee of Ecobank-Liberia, were later shown to be unfounded.
According to Judge Wah-Harris, the firing was against the Liberian Constitution as well as the Act creating LISGIS, which gives the organization autonomy. Judge Wah-Harris declared, “Wilmot Smith’s dismissal was unlawful and wrongful,” highlighting the president’s lack of power to fire LISGIS officers on his own.
Cllr. Arthur Johnson, Smith’s attorney, said that the dismissal violated the LISGIS Act, Article 89 of the Liberian Constitution, and due process.
The president’s authority is expressly restricted by the Act establishing LISGIS to the first appointment of the Director General and the Board of Directors. After that, the Board alone has the power to choose which officials to hire or fire, Johnson said.
Additionally, he said that Smith’s dismissal without due process was against the Constitution’s Chapter III, Article 20, which ensures equitable treatment in legal and administrative actions. Smith insisted that the evidence used to justify his dismissal was falsified.
According to him, Stanton Witherspoon, Martin K.N. Kollie, and Alex Williams were among those who allegedly altered LISGIS account statements in an effort to implicate him.
“LISGIS personnel are granted tenure and autonomy by the Constitution and the LISGIS Act. Smith claimed that the prior president’s dismissal of me constituted both an abuse of authority and a breach of my rights.
The Boakai government is now immediately required to abide by the court’s orders as a result of this ruling. The court has ordered the government to determine and refund any withheld salary, benefits, and allowances in addition to restoring Smith.
