By Precious D. Freeman
The residents Circuit judge of the Civil Law Court, Kennedy Peabody, in a writ of summons dated June 19, 2024 order the government to appear to show cause for its alleged action on the wrongful dismissal of former Deputy Director General for Information Coordination at the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Service (LISGIS) Wilmot Smith.
“You are commanded to summon the government of Liberia, Executive Branch represented through the Ministry of Justice to appear before June term 2024 same being 17, at 2024 10:00 am. You are also further ordered to summon the respondents to file returns to the petitioner on or before the 29, June 2024. Failure to do so, default judgment will be render against him or her” the writ of summons concluded.
Former Dismissed Deputy Director for Information Coordination at the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services has sued the government for wrongful dismissal.
The LISGIS embattled Deputy Director through his lawyer filed a petition for Declaratory Judgment on June 19, 2024 at the Civil Law Court of Montserrado County.
Mr. Smith added that he was appointed by the Board of Director of the institution as such, the authority delegated by LISGIS 2008 Act, only the Board can dismissed the Director and the Deputy Director of the institution.
The petitioner further informed the court that the management of Spoon FM/TV that runs a media institution that is being widely broadcast across the county have been engaged in defamatory and libelous campaign to harm and defame the petitioner.
He continued as saying that the news network management went on other platforms for more than three months where they branded the embattled Deputy Director as a criminal and person who stole census money intended to pay enumerators.
“This allegation remains a severe stigma on the petitioner in Liberia and outside of Liberia this allegation of the management of Spoon Tv and Mr. Stanton Witherspoon is untrue and defamatory and has injured the petitioner unjustifiably,” the petitioner said.
Accordingly, the petitioner through his lawyer Cllr Arthur Johnson of the Consortium of Legal Practitioners said due to the defamatory statement they wrote the management of Spoon with all evidence debunking the false information used against the plaintiff to retract said statement but to no avail.
He lamented that while the Spoon Network was carrying out its illegal and wrongful acts of slander and libel over the social media and other platforms, former President George Weah illegally and wrongfully dismissed him from the position as Deputy Director.
He further contended that he was never accorded any former investigation to ascertain whether or not the defamation carried out by Spoon Network was true.
“The reason for my illegal and wrongful dismissal was termed as administrative reason the said dismissal was termed according to the Executive Mansion website was for administrative reasons a decision that was factored by unsubstantiated defamatory statements made against the petitioner,” the petitioner added.
Meanwhile, the petitioner stated that the act by former President Weah is un-statutory and unconstitutional as the President violated the act establishing LISGIS and Article 89 of the Liberian Constitution which delegates authority to the Legislature to established autonomous agencies.
Mr. Smith stated that the act of the institution does not grant power to the President of Liberia to dismiss the petitioner as it is the Board of LISGIS.
Smith, through his lawyer, maintained that the respondent’s actions were based on unfounded allegations and lies which were never substantiated.
“The dismissal violated petitioner constitutional right to due process under Article 20(a) of the Liberian Constitution also the dismissal of public officials in Liberia under the LISGIS Act.
The petition wants the court to undo the illegal action of the respondent and further prevent them from proceeding or engaging in any act that interferes with the employment functions and capacity of the petitioner, and also order the parties to return to status quo ante.
However, following the petitioner’s petition for declaratory judgment before Civil Law Court ‘A’ Judge Golda Bonah Elliott has summoned the government to appear on June 29 2024.
