-Sends Former Minister to Prison Over Missing $11.5M Diamond
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – A Liberian court has ordered the arrest of several former high-ranking officials, labeling them part of a “criminal cartel” responsible for what it considers the “theft and sale” of a 53.34-carat diamond valued at $11.5 million. The ruling from Judge J. Boima Kontoe of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court mandates that the named individuals be jailed at Monrovia Central Prison unless they can account for the diamond’s whereabouts.
This follows a Supreme Court order to return the gem to its rightful owners. “The case involves a network of a criminal cartel knitted in the art of connivance, secrecy and collusion,” Judge Kontoe declared, asserting it was “highly unlikely” the diamond could have vanished without high-level involvement.
The court’s order targets a who’s-who of Liberia’s past administration and diamond industry, including: Cllr. Frank Musa Dean – Former Minister of Justice & Attorney General, Gesler E. Murray – Former Minister of Mines and Energy, Mustapha Tounkara – President, Diamond Dealers Association, Korvah Baykah, James Biaku, Emmanuel T.J. Saye – Figures linked to the diamond’s appraisal and certification.
The judge’s findings concluded that the entire process—from the diamond’s seizure to its appraisal and sale under the Kimberly Process—was shrouded in secrecy and manipulated by the Attorney General’s opinion, with no transparency or proper documentation.
A Sale in Defiance of the Court:
The scandal emitted when the government of former President George Weah seized the diamond, claiming it as state property. The licensed miners, David Sluward and Abraham Kamara, successfully challenged the seizure, a victory the Supreme Court upheld on August 14, 2025. The Court ruled that the miners held a valid license and ordered the government to return the diamond or pay its full $11.5 million market value.
However, in a stunning revelation, the miners’ lawyer, former Solicitor General Cllr. Saymah Cyrenius Cephus, alleged that the diamond was sold while the Supreme Court was still deliberating. “People started coming now and confessing. They said they sold the diamond for $1.4 million,” Cephus stated, alleging a massive theft from his clients.
He claimed that only $50,000 from the sale reached government coffers, with the remaining $1.35 million unaccounted for. “The fact of the matter is they stole the people’s diamond. While the matter was in court, they sold the diamond,” Cephus said, framing it as a direct contempt of the judiciary.
First Prison Sentence, More to Come?
The enforcement of the court’s crackdown began on Monday, when former Assistant Minister for Mines, Emmanuel Ticonti Tutu Swen, was sent directly to prison. A diamond broker, Issiaca B. Conteh (“Kpaku”), was also detained but later released into his lawyer’s custody.
Cllr. Cephus reported a pattern of evasion by the other accused, stating, “Every time they cite them for a conference, they don’t show up. He [Frank Musa Dean] and Gesler E. Murray.” Judge Kontoe has now issued a final ultimatum, compelling Dean, Murray, and the others to appear in court, declaring there would be “no further notice.” Cephus issued a stark warning to his former colleague,
Dean: “It will be highly disastrous for him… [it would be] a serious miscalculation on his part.” Expressing unwavering confidence, Cephus vowed, “We’ll get our diamond, we’ll get our money. We’ll get all that information,” promising to secure for his clients either the gem or its full value.
