Monrovia, Liberia – The Supreme Court of Liberia on Thursday, August 27, 2026, has overturned the lower court’s outcome in a long-running civil dispute involving former Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS) Deputy Director General Wilmot Smith, ordering a combined US$350,000 in damages against Ecobank Liberia Limited, activist Martin K.N. Kollie and former LISGIS official Alex M. Williams.
The High Court ordered Ecobank Liberia to pay Smith US$250,000 in special damages, while Kollie and Williams were each ordered to pay US$50,000 in general damages.
The ruling places banking confidentiality, institutional responsibility and reputational harm at the center of a case arising from the disclosure and subsequent public discussion of LISGIS account information.
Smith had argued that confidential banking information connected to LISGIS accounts held at Ecobank was improperly accessed and circulated, triggering public allegations that he had diverted approximately US$1.7 million intended for the payment of census enumerators.
He maintained that the controversy severely damaged his reputation and contributed to the loss of his employment.
At the heart of the dispute was information allegedly accessed by Yussif S. Kromah, then a Reconciliation Officer in Ecobank’s Card Operations Department. Smith alleged that Kromah provided sensitive account information to Williams, after which the information entered wider public discussions involving media platforms and Kollie.
Ecobank denied responsibility for the alleged disclosure and argued that Kromah had acted independently and outside the scope of his employment.
The bank said it investigated the matter and subsequently terminated Kromah.
Ecobank also questioned Smith’s standing to seek personal compensation over information concerning accounts belonging to LISGIS and the Government of Liberia.
Those arguments did not ultimately prevail before the Supreme Court.
The High Court found that Ecobank failed to maintain adequate safeguards for confidential customer information and did not meet the required standard of banking confidentiality. The decision consequently imposed financial responsibility on the institution despite its position that the alleged disclosure was the unauthorized act of an individual employee.
The US$250,000 award against Ecobank was classified as special damages, while the separate US$50,000 awards against Kollie and Williams were entered as general damages.
The combined judgment amounts to US$350,000.
The case has its roots in controversy surrounding the management of funds held in LISGIS accounts, including money associated with Liberia’s national population and housing census.
Public allegations about the accounts gained prominence after questions were raised about the movement of millions of dollars and the handling of funds intended for census operations.
Kollie was among those who publicly questioned the management of LISGIS funds. In 2022, he alleged that more than US$2.3 million had been deposited into a LISGIS account and questioned how the funds were subsequently handled.
The controversy intensified around the leadership of LISGIS and the positions held by Smith and Williams.
In November 2022, former President George Manneh Weah removed Smith and Williams from their respective positions, citing administrative reasons.
Smith subsequently pursued legal action, maintaining that the disclosure and public dissemination of banking information had caused substantial damage to his reputation and professional livelihood.
He initially sought US$700,000, consisting of US$500,000 in general damages and US$200,000 in punitive damages.
The matter proceeded to trial in October 2024 before the Civil Law Court for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Montserrado County, presided over by Assigned Circuit Judge Scheaplor R. Dunbar.
The litigation later produced competing outcomes and procedural challenges.
Ecobank sought to halt the proceedings through Supreme Court intervention, but Chambers Justice Yarmie Quiqui Gbeisay rejected the effort in January 2025, allowing the lower court proceedings to continue.
A subsequent lower-court outcome did not impose liability on Ecobank, prompting Smith to appeal to the Supreme Court.
His appeal raised issues including the treatment of evidence, alleged jury irregularities and the application of employer liability principles.
The Supreme Court’s latest decision has now reversed the trajectory of the case, holding Ecobank financially responsible for the harm identified by the Court and separately awarding damages against Kollie and Williams.
The ruling carries implications beyond the parties involved, particularly for financial institutions handling confidential customer information.
It reinforces the expectation that banks must maintain effective safeguards around sensitive financial information and take responsibility for protecting the confidentiality entrusted to them.
