-But he wants aggrieved parties to seek legal redress
By: G Bennie Bravo Johnson I
Ongoing controversy over the world’s most precious stone of all time, the diamond, recently found in Henry Town, Gbarpolu County, is turning guiltier as accusing fingers have been pointed at Assistant Land Mines Minister, Emmanuel T. Swen, for allegedly siding with an investigation in his interest.
Swen has been accused by stakeholders within the hold and diamond broker sectors of siding with a party in a controversy over the ownership of a US$2.7 million diamond, allegedly intended to be smuggled out of Liberia to Italy.
The diamond, which is estimated at 53.27 carats, is said to have been found by a 52-year-old man, Mohammed Kamara, popularly known as “Junior,” who is reportedly involved with hunting, fishing, and diamond mining in April.
However, there is controversy over which mining claim the diamond was found on, as one Fatu Borbor is contending that it was discovered on Claim-9, which belongs to her, while Junior has told investigators that he found the diamond on Claim-12, which belongs to another fellow.
But the President of the Gold and Diamond Brokers Association of Liberia and also a member of the Board of the Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, Fallah B. Kamara, is dissatisfied with the procedure leading to ownership of the diamond.
Mr. Kamara has accused Assistant Land and Mines Minister Swen of conducting an improper investigation to deprive Ma Fatu Borbor of claiming ownership of the diamond.
He said Mohammed Kamara was working at Madam Borbor’s mining site when the diamond was discovered, but the Assistant Minister and some others, including Ishaka B. Konneh, alias “Kpaku,” have incited Kamara to disprove that the diamond was found at Claim 9.
According to Mr. Kamara, Diamond and Gold Brokers President, when the diamond was found, he was in Monrovia but placed a call to one Manju Kamara, former President of the Brokers Association, who confirmed that the diamond was found in Claim-9, Gbarpolu County, but was surprised to hear that it was found at Claim-12, following Minister Swen’s investigation.
He further indicated that he instructed Manju to seize the matter since he was not on the ground at that moment and ensure that the diamond is safely kept so that it can pass through the proper procedure for the government to get its proceeds.
Yet, Kamara said when he got to the county the next day, he instructed Manju to produce the fellow who found the diamond but was informed that Kamara was in safekeeping along with Ishaka Konneh and could not come forth, adding that it was through the intervention of Senator Saah Joseph that they first saw the diamond and “Junior” who found the diamond.
“When we got them, we came to town along with all these people to the Ministry of Land and Mines, and the Minister proper asked “Junior” if it was true that he found the diamond, and he said yes and that he has the diamond but it is not with him,” Mr. Tamara said.
“The Minister instructed that police seize him until he can produce the diamond, but Assistant Minister Swen interrupted and said the suspect should go and come the next day with the diamond, and the Minister agreed.” But I told the Minister that his action was wrong and against our Mineral Law.”
According to him, the Mineral Law states that anyone who is not a dealer and does not have a license cannot keep a diamond or have gold.
Therefore, he believed that giving the diamond to Konneh and Mohammed Kamara was unlawful because the diamond should have been in the possession of the Ministry of Land Mines until the investigation was completed.
Mr. Kamara alleged that Minister Swen has been involved in some “clandestine mineral deals” by using his influence to illegally take dealers’ diamonds, noting that the current situation is an example.
“I lost confidence in Minister Swen because for him to have allowed Kpaku to keep the diamond was wrong. This action justifies that he has hidden his hands under this thing,” Mr. Kamara noted.
He wants the proceeds from the diamond to benefit everyone who is connected to its discovery, including the government.
Nonetheless, he said Minister Swen’s action is intended to deprive the government of benefiting from its percentage for what he views as his gain.
He said that following his position that the Minister was proceeding wrongly, Minister Swen, Amara Kamara, and Ishaka Konneh called him to a meeting and requested to give him US$100,000 to forget about the matter, but he refused.
Ma-Fatu Borbor herself is claiming that the diamond is from her claim number nine at Lofa River, in Smith Town.She said JR had been on an illegal operation on April 21 and that her son saw him digging the ground the same day at the claim, where she had also seen him.
Ma-Fatu noted that Junior and the authorities are intending to rob him of the diamond found in her claim, noting that there are witnesses to prove it.
When contacted, Minister Emmanuel Swen informed the team of media that he conducted an in-depth investigation on the matter in line with the Ministry Guidelines with all parties present, which suggested that the diamond was found at Claim-12 rather than Claim-9.
Claim is the term given to a mining site to halve various segments.
According to him, during the investigation, Kamara, who discovered the diamond, noted that he was being pressured by President Kamara and others to state that the pressure stone was found at Claim 9.
This, Swen noted, was intended to enable the processing of the mineral to remain within the family since Ma Fatu, who is also claiming that it was found at her claim, is Kamara’s mother-in-law, something the fellow refused.
He said that currently, others who owned Claim-12 are arguing that they are owners of the diamond and are already awaiting their ownership proceeding.
Minister Swen noted that during the investigation, there were contradictions in the testimony from six witnesses produced with that of Ma-Fatu, which left him with no further alternative but to conclude that those who have Claim 12 and the fellow who found the diamond will own it.
Despite the controversy, he added that during the investigations, the ministry did not involve others because the Ministry of Land and Mines takes responsibility for them.
The outcome of said investigation he noted that if the other part of the investigation, which is also claiming the diamond, feels dissatisfied with the investigation outcome, they should go to court.
According to him, the investigation is already concluded, and the party who has ownership of the diamond can sell it to anyone they feel satisfied with, and the ministry cannot stop them.
In an investigation conducted by a team of journalists, the Women’s Voices newspaper uncovered that the diamond is expected to be smuggled out of Liberia to Italy in the coming days, but Minister Swen noted that the diamond has not yet left the country and that the government will benefit from its royalty or tax following the transaction.
“I communicated with the Ministry, and I was told the diamond has not been exported; if it is being purchased through the right procedure, the Ministry cannot atop it,” he averred.
Minister Swen had at the same time responded to information that he had conspired with the fellow who found the diamond to sell it outside the rightful procedure.
According to him, some individuals are contacting officials in government to intimidate him into rendering decisions that favor them.
“There is a Lebanese Party that believes that my ruling should favor them and that the part is in connection with Ma-Fatu,” he maintained.
Swen said that despite this attempt to manipulate his decision by some men believed to be in the Lebanese circle, his decision will not be considered controversial within the leadership of the Brokers Association of Liberia.
