The Civil Law Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Montserrado County, presided over by Assigned Circuit Judge His Honour J. Boima Kontoe, has issued a contempt order for the arrest and detention of several high-profile former government officials and individuals over the controversial disappearance of a 53.34-carat diamond.
The ruling follows a mandate from the Supreme Court of Liberia dated August 14, 2025, which held that petitioners T. David Sluward and Mahama Kamara (alias “IR”) had legally renewed their Class “C” mining license. The Court ruled that the Ministry of Mines and Energy acted ultra vires—beyond the scope of its legal authority—when it claimed the diamond as property of the Republic.
According to the Supreme Court’s judgment, Sluward and Kamara submitted a timely renewal application on March 17, 2022, ahead of the license’s expiration on May 25, 2022. Although the renewal was processed over a year later on April 28, 2023, the Court ruled that the license remained valid nunc pro tunc, retroactive to the original expiration date.
An investigative panel commissioned by then-Minister of Justice and Attorney General Frank Musa Dean had initially confirmed that the 53.34-carat diamond belonged to Sluward and Kamara.
However, a subsequent legal opinion from the same Ministry contradicted the findings—asserting, without new evidence or investigation, that the diamond belonged to the Government of Liberia due to the license’s purported expiration.
Judge Kontoe condemned the Ministry’s contradictory stance, describing it as legally unsupported and inconsistent with the investigative report.
He further criticized what he called “a network of a criminal cartel knitted on the altar of connivance, secrecy, and collusion,” accusing key figures of engaging in a deliberate scheme to misappropriate the diamond.
Those held in contempt and ordered arrested include Frank Musa Dean, former Attorney General; Gersler Murray, former Minister of Mines and Energy; Mustapha Tounkara, President of the Diamond Dealers Association; Ishaka Conneh (alias “Bukat”); Emmanuel T. Swen; and Korvah Baysah, the appraiser who certified the diamond and is accused of withholding key transactional information.
The Court found that Tounkara falsified documents to distort the diamond’s origin and later sold it outside of Liberia—allegedly under the direction of Dean and Murray. Meanwhile, appraiser Korvah Baysah is accused of concealing the vendor return form, a document containing crucial details about the buyer and sale price. The absence of this form has left the diamond’s sale and whereabouts shrouded in mystery.
In response, Judge Kontoe ordered the arrest and detention of all individuals named, directing that they be held at the Monrovia Central Prison until they fully account for the missing 53.34-carat diamond.
Judge Kontoe emphasized that the Supreme Court’s mandate cannot be enforced unless those involved provide complete transparency and disclose the diamond’s current location and sale details.
The high-profile case has reignited public outrage over corruption in Liberia’s mineral sector and raised broader concerns about impunity and abuse of public trust.
Legal analysts view the ruling as a significant assertion of judicial independence and a rare move toward accountability in Liberia’s extractive industries.
The Court concluded that unless the implicated individuals come forward with full disclosure, the enforcement of the Supreme Court’s ruling will remain stalled. The outcome of this case is expected to have far-reaching consequences for both the legal and political climate in Liberia.
