-In a high-value Diamond Dispute
MONROVIA – Former Justice Minister Frank Musa Dean has publicly criticized the broad stigmatization of public officials after the Supreme Court cleared him of personal liability in a high-value diamond dispute.
The Court ruled that a lower court improperly issued an arrest warrant for Dean, holding he acted within his official capacity as former Attorney General. The case centers on a disputed 53.34-carat diamond, valued at US$11.5 million, found in Gbarpolu County in 2023.
Speaking after the ruling, Dean urged Liberians to move beyond blanket accusations. “Not everyone who serves in government is corrupt. Stop the generalization,” Dean stated. “It is becoming a crime to serve in government. Sooner or later, good people will begin to refuse government service, and it will be right up the alley of the corrupt and unpatriotic individuals.”
He called for an end to public discourse driven by “hate, anger, envy, and jealousy,” and reaffirmed his commitment to the rule of law during his tenure. “I was lambasted by all sides… but I remained steadfast,” Dean said, citing his oversight of security during the recent elections without major incident.
The Supreme Court’s opinion, delivered by Chief Justice Yamie Quiqui Gbeisay, stated that the enforcement of a prior judgment against the Government of Liberia could not lawfully target former officials who were not personally named as liable parties. The mandate ordered the government, through the Ministry of Mines and Energy, to make restitution.
“Nowhere in the Mandate or the Judgment of this Court was Cllr. Dean personally named or held liable,” Justice Gbeisay clarified, adding that a bill of information was not the proper legal vehicle to address the lower court’s violation.
The diamond was discovered on a mining claim in Smith Town. Local miners T. David Sluward and Abraham Kamara claimed ownership, but the government contended the mining license had expired, transferring ownership to the state.
In 2024, the Supreme Court recognized the miners as the legitimate owners and ordered the lower court to enforce the judgment. However, Judge Boima Kontoe’s enforcement order in March 2025 directed the arrest and detention of several former officials, including Dean, which prompted his appeal to the Supreme Court.
In his petition, Dean argued he was wrongly included in the arrest order, as neither he nor the Ministry of Justice was named in the original judgment. He stated his role was limited to providing a legal opinion that the diamond, found on an expired claim, reverted to state ownership.
Dean referenced a Ministry of Mines and Energy press release detailing that the dealer who exported the diamond paid over US$80,000 to the government in royalties and fines. He maintained the Ministry of Justice played no administrative or financial role in the sale. The ruling clears the way for the Civil Law Court to continue proceedings related to the diamond dispute, focusing on the other named parties.
