By Grace Q. Bryant
The Assistant Minister of Mines at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Emmanuel Swen, provided a lengthy explanation on reasons behind his decision surrounding the legitimate ownership of the recently found 53.27 carat diamond.
Addressing a news conference on the weekend, Minister Swen said over the period of his professional stay within the sector, he has always, ethically and impartially investigated cases with both parties leaving very satisfied with his decision but not until the most recent Smith Town diamond saga.
According to Minister Swen, there have been controversies surrounding the legitimate ownership of the diamond; something that prompted the sector ministry’s direct intervention.
Minister Swen explained that he commenced the investigation with both parties present while Ma-Fatu Borbor side provided six witnesses to justify that they are the legitimate owners of diamond.
He maintained that Mohammed Kamara (Junior), was the one who the investigation established originally found the diamond but Ma Fatu claimed that the diamond in question was discovered in her area.
He furthered that, following cross examinations, testimonies and lengthy conversations, it was established that Ma-Fatu Borbor witnesses concluded by not providing sufficient evidences and convincing information to overturn the fact that the diamond was found by one Junior.
“My ruling was fair and unbiased, I handed down my verdict because the opposing party did not show enough proof to substantiate that they were the legitimate owners of the diamond as such, I ruled that the legitimate owners of the diamond was Junior,” he narrated.
He added that testimonies from Ma-Fatu witnesses were conflicted, contradictory and as well questionable unlike, Junior’s narrations pointing out, “Both the security and the agents of Ma Fatu Borbor testimonies did not resonate with the investigation.”
Minister Swen however termed as unfair, a wrong picture that was created by other relative to the issue alleging that he gave the diamond to a Mandingo person instead of the Kissi people.
“I am not a tribalist and I can safely say that I took the best and professional decision possible after the investigation and I challenge anyone to say my ruling was not in line with what the witnesses mentioned during the investigation,” he admonished.
In recent time, there has been an ongoing controversy over diamond, recently found in Henry Town, Gbarpolu County and the Assistant Land Mines Minister, Swen, for allegedly swaying the investigation for personal interest.
Reports say 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 million 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 deepened, a woman identified as Fatu Borbor is still contending that the diamond was discovered on Claim-9, which belongs to her while Junior also told investigators that he found the diamond on Claim-12, which belonged to another miner.
However, 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 the Ministry of Justice and the Mines and Energy Ministry.
