Africa-Press – Liberia. — “Rescue Rambo” at the center of ECOBANK’s US$700K Libel Case
Investigation by the Ecobank Group in Nigeria into the leaking of restricted information of one of its clients, the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo Information Services (LISGIS) has revealed that Martin K.N. Kollie allegedly took part in the conspiracy held in 2022.
Kollie, the investigative evidence before the Civil Law Court, allegedly misled Yussif Kromah, Reconciliation Officer assigned to the Card Operation Department at the bank to leak the information on the LIGIS’s account.
The investigation claims that Kollie and the Spoon TV social media platform manipulated the information to implicate Wilmot Smith, former Deputy Director for information and Coordination at LIGIS to looting of the LIGIS’s account intended to pay enumerators for the Housing and Population Census.
The investigation also claimed that Kollie, popularly known as “Rescue Rambo,” put the looted money to US$1.7million.
Kromah was later dismissed after he confessed to leaking information of LIGIS to Kollie.
According to documents, “LIGIS’s Statement Leaked Investigation,” submitted in court, Kollie and the Spoon TV social media platform relied on the allege leaked information to single out Smith illegally withdrew US$1.7million.
Kollie, the investigation alleges, former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah protected Smith during the looting of the LIGIS’s account.
Smith is seeking US$500,000 in general damages and US$200,000 as punitive damages from the bank for bringing his hard earned reputation to public dispute.
The accused, Ecobank, has persistently denied any wrongdoing of the leaked information, and has taken a decision to investigate the incident, with the dismissal of Kromah.
Smith argued that Kromah’s action was exhibited within the regular course of duty of the co-defendant Ecobank, according to legal dictates.
Under this law, the co-defendant Eco-bank cannot avoid responsibility for the wrongful conduct of its employee.
The account is under the corporate bank business segment and managed by Charles Kpoh who is the Relationship Manager for the Public Sector arm of the business, according to the investigative evidence.
The investigation said, Kollie on October 31, 2022, put up a post on his Facebook page that he has been investigating LSGIS accounts for a week and will expose how $769,297.08 and LRD42,331,085.00 were allegedly stolen.
The investigation established that on November 1, 2022, an activist/ social commentator with the name Martin K N Kollie started a Facebook post Titled “Fact Findings- why National Census has been delayed since 2018-LISGIS a liability?”
According to the investigation, there are various allegations of financial impropriety raised by Kollie, but he failed to ensure due diligence in the write up.
“In this write up on Facebook, the name of the bank and the statement of the LRD Account 6101350441 for the months of July and Oct was attached while the USD Account 6100064362 statements for the months of March, June and July was attached too,” the investigative findings noted.
Martin K N Kollie alleges that the Media Assistant- (Aloysius Howe) to the finance minister withdrew the sum of L$160,000.00 on October 19th, 2022,the report alleges.
The investigation claims that based on Kollie’s misinformation, then former President George Weah, on November 14, 2022, sacked Smith.
For More News And Analysis About Liberia Follow Africa-Press
