Monrovia — Teeko Yorlay, Liberia’s Ambassador-designate to France, has been issued an arrest warrant by Stipendiary Magistrate Ben Bacon. The warrant follows Yorlay’s controversial social media posts in which he accused Wilmot Smith, the former deputy director general of the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), of “stealing LISGIS’s Census money.”
The charges against Yorlay include criminal coercion and disorderly conduct, stemming from his Facebook post, which reportedly damaged Smith’s reputation. In the post, Yorlay called Smith a “criminal” and alleged that he had embezzled census funds, warning the public against trusting him.
According to the arrest warrant, the remarks were intended to incite public ridicule and harm Smith’s professional image. The writ further claims that Yorlay’s posts in April 2022, accusing Smith of criminal activity, were unlawful, malicious, and violated Liberia’s New Penal Law.
This legal action follows similar accusations made by other former LISGIS officials, Alex Williams and Martin K. N. Kollie, who have alleged that Smith illegally withdrew millions of dollars intended for census payments.
Yorlay is now set to face legal proceedings regarding these allegations.
