-As He Disappears Amid US$1.7M Embezzlement Case
MONROVIA – Wilmot Smith, the former Deputy Director General for Information and Coordination at the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), is now a fugitive from justice after violating the terms of his US$5 million bail and allegedly fleeing the country, judicial sources confirm.
Smith, a central figure in a high-profile US$1.7 million embezzlement case, has triggered a criminal contempt of court warrant after failing to appear before the judicial system he had recently petitioned for a speedy trial.
The defendant was indicted alongside other senior LISGIS officials, including Director General Francis Wreh, on charges of economic sabotage, fraud, misapplication of entrusted property, and criminal conspiracy. The allegations detail a sophisticated scheme to divert public funds intended for national statistical projects between 2019 and 2022.
Earlier this year, Smith was released from custody after posting a substantial US$5 million property bond. However, after several court terms passed under the Boakai administration without the trial proceeding, Smith’s legal team filed a motion for dismissal, arguing that the delay violated his constitutional right to a speedy trial.
Rather than await the court’s ruling on his own motion, Smith allegedly chose to abscond. Sources indicate he left Liberia under undisclosed circumstances, a move that legal experts say severely undermines his previous legal arguments.
Human Surety Faces Reckoning
Smith’s disappearance has immediate consequences for his human surety, Madam Theresa Faylah Watkins, who legally guaranteed his appearance in court. The First Judicial Circuit Court, Criminal Assizes ‘C’, has already summoned Watkins to answer to charges of criminal contempt of court.
The writ, issued by His Honor Ousman F. Feika during the court’s August 2025 term, commands Sheriff Capt. Tina G. Noring to ensure Madam Watkins appears before the court. A human surety, like Madam Watkins, is a person who legally guarantees a defendant’s appearance in court by putting their own liberty and assets at risk. If the defendant flees, the surety can be held liable and face fines or imprisonment.
The court has ordered Sheriff Noring to produce Madam Watkins to answer to the contempt charge. Her appearance could set a significant precedent for the enforcement of judicial orders in Liberia’s ongoing fight against high-level corruption.
