— As Asst.  Mines Minister, Others Linked

By Taisiah K.Merfee

IPNEWS: The Ongoing controversy over one of the world’s most precious stone-Diamond, recently found in Henry Town, Gbarpolu County is turning gray by the day due to pointing fingers at Assistant Land Mines Minister, Emmanuel T. Swen, for allegedly shielding an investigation for personal interest.

IPNEWS correspondent in Gbarpolu county reports that Assistant Minister Swen has been consistently accused by stakeholders of Henry Town, including officers of the Gbarpolu diamond broker sector of being in cohort with another party in the controversial ownership of a US$2.7 Millon worth diamond allegedly intended to be smuggled out of Liberia to Italy.

The diamond which is 53.27 Carats is said to be found by a 52-year-old man, Mohammed Kamara, popularly known as “Junior,” who is reportedly involved with hunting, fishing, and diamond mining since April 2023.

As the controversy deepens over which mining Claims the diamond was found, a woman identified as Fatu Borbor is contending that the diamond was discovered on Claim-9, which belongs to her.

Another miner identified as “Junior” also told investigators that he found the diamond on Claim-12, which belonged to another fellow miner of Fatu Borbor.

Amidst all the controversies, the President of the Gold and Diamond Brokers Association of Liberia, also a member of the Board of the Liberia Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, Fallah B. Kamara has expressed displeasure over the procedure of ownership of the diamond and is calling for an impartial investigation by Justice and the Mines and Energy Ministries.

Mr. Kamara also accused Assistant Land and Mines Minister, Swen of conducting an improper investigation to deprive Madam Fatu Borbor of claims to the diamond.

IPNEWS understands that a man identified as Mohammed Kamara was the employed of Madam Borbor when the diamond was discovered, however, Assistant Minister and some others including Ishaka B. Konneh, alias “Kpaku” incited Kamara to disprove a statement by Madam Fatu Borbor that the diamond was found at Claim-9 as stimulate by the mining rights.

“When the Diamond was, I was in Monrovia, so then, who confirmed that the diamond was found in Claim-9, Gbarpolu County?”

“I’m surprised to hear that it was found at Claim-12, following Minister Swen investigation. ” The president of the diamond and Gold broker too IPNEWS.

He indicated that he instructed Manju to seize the matter since he was not on the ground at that moment to 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 was not with him,” Mr. Tamara said.

“The Minister instructed that police take seize of 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 agree. But I told the Minister that his action was wrong and against our Mineral Law.” Ishaka Kamara explains.

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 is completed.,’

Mr. Kamara alleged that Minister Swen has been 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 to proceed from the diamond to benefit everyone who is connected to its discovery, including government proceeds.

Nonetheless, he said Minister Swen’s action is intended to deprive the government of benefiting its percentage, for what he views as his gain.

He said 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 Thousand 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 having been on an illegal operation on April 21, and that her son saw him digging the ground the same day at said Claim, where she had also seen him.

Ma-Fatu noted that Junior and the authority 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 stated 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.

The 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 process 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 currently, others who owned Claim-12 are arguing that they are owners of the diamond and are already awaiting their ownership proceed.

Minister Swen noted that during the investigation, there were contradictions in the testimony from six witnesses produced, to that of the testimony 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 it. the outcome of said investigation.

He noted that if the other part of the investigation, who 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.

Information gathered by IPNEWS says 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 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, hit if it is being purchased through the right procedure, the Ministry cannot atop it,” he averred.

Minister Swen at the same time responded to information that he has connive 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 to render decisions that would 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 despite this attempt to manipulate his decision by some men believed to be in the Lebanese circle, his decision will not consider controversial within the leadership of the Brokers Association of Liberia.