—-Supreme Court Orders Civil Law Court to Resume Trial in $11.5 Million Diamond Controversy
By Amos Harris
The mystery surrounding Liberia’s controversial 53.34-carat diamond valued at over US$11.5 million has resurfaced at the Temple of Justice as the Supreme Court has instructed the Sixth Judicial Civil Law Court to resume proceedings in the high-stakes case.
The order keeps several former officials of the George Weah-led CDC administration, including former Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musa Dean and ex-Mines and Energy Minister Gesler E. Murray, squarely in the spotlight of one of Liberia’s most explosive resource scandals in years.
The directive, signed by Associate Justice Jamesetta Howard Wolokolie, cancels a scheduled Supreme Court conference and orders Judge J. Boima Kontoe of the Civil Law Court to “resume jurisdiction and proceed in keeping with law.”
The move effectively reactivates the lower court’s controversial ruling that had called for the arrest and detention of the accused until they could account for the missing diamond.
Judge Kontoe’s earlier decision described the former ministers and their associates as part of a “criminal cartel” allegedly responsible for the “theft and sale” of the massive diamond discovered in Gbarpolu County.
His ruling also noted that the gem’s disappearance reflected a broader pattern of official interference and collusion within key government institutions responsible for natural resource governance.
The Supreme Court’s decision, dated October 2, 2025, reverses an earlier stay order issued just two days prior, which temporarily shielded Cllr. Dean from arrest while his petition for a writ of certiorari was under review.
Dean’s legal team had argued that as Justice Minister and Attorney General at the time, he acted within the scope of his constitutional duties specifically under Article 22 of the Executive Law, which empowers the Attorney General to provide legal opinions to government ministries and the President.
However, critics say Dean’s defense fails to explain the inconsistencies between the government’s initial investigation report and subsequent court findings.
Documents reviewed by this paper suggest that the Ministry of Mines and Energy, under Minister Murray, had earlier confirmed that the diamond was “fully documented and accounted for” and exported under the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) an international mechanism designed to prevent trade in conflict diamonds.
That official clarification, dated January 3, 2023, claimed that the diamond’s exporter paid all required fees and taxes, including a 3% royalty and a US$50,000 fine for purchasing from an expired mining claim.
Yet, the Civil Law Court later found these explanations insufficient, ruling that the transaction appeared to have been manipulated to conceal state property theft.
The diamond saga began in April 2023, when miner Mohammed Kamara (alias “JR”) reportedly unearthed the 53.34-carat stone at Claim 12F, Gbarma Mining District, Gbarpolu County.
The Ministry of Justice quickly moved to seize the gem, declaring it state property after citing the miner’s expired license.
However, the claimants, David Sluward and Abraham Kamara, maintained that the diamond belonged to them and challenged the seizure in court.
The Civil Law Court later ruled in their favor, finding the government’s confiscation unlawful.
The Weah administration, through Cllr. Dean and Minister Murray, appealed to the Supreme Court setting off a two-year legal and political battle that now threatens to haunt former CDC power brokers.
The latest twist Justice Wolokolie’s order to reopen the case raises fresh concerns about transparency and accountability under the previous administration.
Observers question how a diamond officially declared “exported in full compliance with the Kimberley Process” could simultaneously become the subject of a multi-million-dollar criminal case.
Public reaction has been fierce. Civil society groups argue that Liberia’s natural resource governance remains deeply compromised by political interference and corruption.
Legal analysts warn that if the courts fail to deliver justice this time, the credibility of Liberia’s judicial and mining oversight systems could face irreparable damage.
As the case returns to the Civil Law Court, all eyes are on Cllr. Frank Musa Dean, Gesler Murray, and their co-accused whose reputations now hang in the balance.
Whether the proceedings will finally expose the truth behind the missing diamond or descend into another episode of legal maneuvering remains to be seen.
But one thing is clear, Liberia’s diamond scandal is far from over and the trail of accountability still leads deep into the corridors of former CDC government officials
