By Precious D. Freeman
Chamber Justice Yarmie Quiqui Gbeisay, has rejected Ecobank, co-defendant’s last-minute bid to halt the US$700,000 libel case.
The bank, had urged Justice Gbeisay, to review and if possible to overturn Judge Scheaplor Dunbar of Civil Law Court rejection of its (bank) argument to not grant separate trial, to another co-defendant Alex Williams, former Deputy Director General for Statistics and Data Processing at Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo Information Services (LISGIS),
In a one-page decision, dated Friday, January 24, Justice Gbeisay instructed Judge Dunbar through a written communication, it states, “By directive of His Honor Yarmie Quiqui Gbeisay, Associate Justice presiding in Chamber, you are hereby mandated to resume jurisdiction and proceed in keeping with law, as the justice has declined to issue the writ prayed for.”
Williams, an employee of Ecobank and the bank are being tried for allegedly colluding to share LISGIS’s account statements with the Spoon TV and social media platform, who then misrepresented the information publicly, implicating Wilmot Smith, former Deputy Director General for information Coordination at LISGIS, accusing him of an unauthorized withdrawal of funds intended for census enumerators, in 2022.
Smith, had claimed wrongful dismissal by former President George Weah due to the misinformation spread by the defendants through social media channels
Smith, who prior to the opening of the Census’ account, was one of the signatories to the LISGIS’s Account, at Ecobank, is now seeking financial compensation, US$500,000 in general damages and US$200,000 in punitive damages, for the damages incurred.
The bank had argued that on Monday, January 20, when the case was called, Williams’ lawyers made an application for separate trial, on grounds that because he was not accorded due process, he did not have the opportunity to participate in the jurors selection process, he did not have the opportunity of examination of Wilmot Smith and his witnesses, who had already testified in the case, thus the court should grant him separate trial.
Immediately, afterwards Judge Dunbar granted him the separate trial, although documents from the court files established that Williams received the assignment notice of the case.
Unfortunately, the bank argued that on January 15, 2025, at the call of the case, the lawyers representing co-defendant Alex Williams, appeared in court and claimed that he is not aware of the case, because he was not served any document for hearing of the case.
Further to the argument, the bank said, Smith, who sought the US$700,000 libel lawsuit, filed a motion for rejoinder, including Martin K N Kollie and Alex Williams, as co-defendants, who are alleged to be individuals who appeared on the Spoon Network and made the libelous and slanderous statement.
According to the bank, Judge Dunbar granted the request and the named individuals were joined as party defendants.
“Your Honor, we want you to order him to stay all further proceedings in the petition for separate trial, and to set a date and time at your convenience, and for Judge Dunbar to appear and show cause why, if any, his ruling on the application for separate trial should not be set aside, and thereafter issue the alternative writ,” the bank’s petition for Certiorari argues.
