US$700K Deformation Case Against Ecobank Begins Today By: Yassah J. Wright

The long awaited US$700,000 damages lawsuit against Ecobank Liberia Limited begins today at the Civil Law Court for Montserrado County. The case against the bank is filed by Wilmot Smith, former Deputy Director for information and Coordination at the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo Information Services (LISGIS). Smith has claimed that he was dismissed by former President George Weah, after the bank allegedly leaked information of LIGIS’s account number#6101350441 and 6100064362 details to Mr Alex Williams, LIGIS’s former deputy director for Statistics. Williams, the complaint claims, who is one of the partnerlist on the Spoon Talk Show, used the leaked statement, to accuse the plaintiff of withdrawing monies from the said accounts, and diverted same to his personal benefits. Smith is demanding US$500,000 in general damages and US$200,000 as punitive damages. The bank, in counterargument argued that the accusations raised by Smith had anything to do with them (the bank). Co-defendant Ecobank further argued that after the accusation, they conducted an immediate investigation of Yussif S. Kromah, the bank Reconciliation Officer assigned to the Card Operation Department.

The investigative findings, the bank said accused Kromah of leaking information of LIGIS’s account details to Mr. Alex Williams, deputy director for Statistics, at LISGIS, who is not authorised by LIGIS, and a non-signatory to the account. The investigation recommended dismissal of Kromah for the sharing of confidential customer statement with Alex Williams, a former signatory to the LIGIS’s account, which they did immediately. Kromah, according to the investigation, confirmed that it was the statement of accounts, he submitted to Williams was the same account displayed on the Social Media platform of Martins Kollie, a political activist. According to the investigation, Kromah confirmed that he shared the statement with Williams, but he acted based on trust and not to bring the bank to disrepute. The investigation established that Kromah started an engagement with Alex inner circle (Surroundings) prior to Williams appearance on the Spoon TV. Smith, however claims that Kromah”s action was exhibited within the regular course of duty of the co-defendant Eco-bank, citing the doctrine of Respondent’s Superior.  Under this law, the co-defendant Eco-bank cannot avoid responsibility for the wrongful conduct of its employee. These are some of the arguments the potential jury will be listening to and to make a determination during the trial.