The Government of Liberia wishes to clarify that it is not a party to the lawsuit brought against the Management of the Spoon Network, which on Friday, July 14, resulted in the closure of the station’s premises in Monrovia.
The GoL understands that the suit was instead filed months ago by Mr. Wilmont Smith, a private citizen of the country, who once served as Deputy Director General for Information Coordination at LISGIS.
Mr Smith stated in his lawsuit that following his dismissal from the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-information Services for Administrative Reasons by President George M. Weah, the station used its network to defame his reputation, characterizing him as a “Criminal”.
The case involving the two parties was brought before the court and has been ongoing for several months.
A writ was issued against the Spoon FM Management and its owner, Mr. Stanton Witherspoon, on the morning of Friday, July 14, 2023.
The Government of Liberia re-emphasizes that it respects the right to freedom of speech and of the press, as it has always demonstrated, but is also cognizant of the fact that an individual feeling injured by the work of a media entity also has the right to seek redress under the laws of Liberia.
The courts, which are an integral part of the Judicial Branch of the Government, are independent of the Executive Branch, which has got no part in this private legal saga.
Meanwhile, the government is appalled by the irresponsible attempt of the standard bearer of the opposition Unity Party to score political capital out of a routine legal matter.
The Weah- led Administration’s press freedom record remains enviable, which has been repeatedly attested to by all international partners, including outgoing U.S. Ambassador Michael McCarthy.
Attempts by the UP Standard Bearer and others to link the government to this purely private legal matter are simply ridiculous, to say the least.
