Monrovia – Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Liberia, Cllr. Frank Musah Dean, Jr., has filed a Bill of Information before the Supreme Court of Liberia, challenging what he describes as an unlawful attempt by a lower court judge to hold him personally liable and order his arrest in connection with a long-running diamond ownership dispute in Gbarpolu County.

By Willie N. Tokpah

In the petition, filed on October 23, Cllr. Dean seeks the Supreme Court’s intervention against His Honour J. Boima Kontoe, Assigned Circuit Judge of the Civil Law Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, Montserrado County, and other respondents, including the Sheriff of the Court, T. David Sluward, Abraham Kamara, and Mohammed “JR” Kamara, all holders of Class “C” mining licenses in Gbarpolu County.

The matter stems from the discovery of a 53.34-carat diamond in Smith Town, Gbarma Mining District Number Two, Gbarpolu County, in April 2022, which sparked widespread controversy and competing ownership claims.

According to the Bill of Information, the diamond was found on a claim whose mining license had expired nearly a year before the discovery.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy reportedly informed the Ministry of Justice that the license for “Claim #12F/Survey” expired on May 25, 2022, and that the claim holders only made payment for a new license on April 28, 2023, a week after the diamond was discovered.

Based on this, the Ministry of Justice, under Dean’s leadership at the time, advised that the diamond legally belonged to the Government of Liberia, as mineral rights under expired licenses revert to the state under Section 9.9 of the Minerals and Mining Law (2000).

Cllr. Dean cited Article 22(b) of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, which states that private property rights do not extend to mineral resources beneath the land, emphasizing that the Government should have been the seller of the diamond and the proceeds deposited into national revenue.

In August 2024, the Supreme Court of Liberia, in an opinion delivered by Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene G. Yuoh, ruled that the diamond be returned to the miners, T. David Sluward and Abraham Kamara, or that they be paid its fair market value.

However, the Court clarified that the proper party in the case was the Government of Liberia, by and through the Ministry of Mines and Energy, not individual ministers or agents of government agencies.

Despite this clear distinction, the Civil Law Court, presided over by Judge Kontoe, allegedly attempted to enforce the judgment against Cllr. Dean and other former officials, including former Mines Minister Gesler Murray, and officials of the Diamond Dealers Association of Liberia.

“Travesty of Justice”

In his petition, Dean strongly objected to the Civil Law Court’s actions, describing them as a “travesty of justice.”

He stated that he was never served notice of a court conference scheduled for September 29, yet the presiding judge issued a ruling dated September 26, ordering his arrest and that of other individuals, including former Assistant Minister Emmanuel T. T. Swen.

“How is it that the judge ruled on September 26, reassigning the matter to September 29, and yet delivered a ruling dated the same day ordering arrests?” Dean questioned in his filing, suggesting that no hearing was ever held.

Cllr. Dean argued that as former Attorney General, he acted within his statutory and constitutional authority in providing a legal opinion to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.


He maintained that the Minister of Justice cannot be held personally liable for official legal advice rendered to government agencies.

Citing Article 21(i) of the Constitution, Dean emphasized that the lawyer-client relationship is inviolable, and lawyers are immune from government sanctions or punishment for performing their professional duties.

He further argued that he was never a party to the original case and therefore cannot be bound by its judgment.

The Government of Liberia, not individual officials, is responsible for satisfying the Supreme Court’s judgment.

The case is civil in nature and not one for which individuals can be imprisoned under Section 44.71(2) of the Civil Procedure Law.

Request to the Supreme Court

Dean’s Bill of Information requests the Supreme Court to hold Judge Kontoe and others in contempt for attempting to irregularly enforce the Court’s mandate; restrict the Civil Law Court from holding him personally responsible for his official legal opinion; affirm that only the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Mines and Energy, is liable to satisfy the judgment; and restrain any further arrests or enforcement actions against him or other individuals not party to the original suit.

The Bill of Information is co-signed by Cllr. J. Johnny Momoh, with Cllr. Dean is representing himself.

The case underscores the growing tension between the judiciary and executive officials over accountability for official decisions and the extent of ministerial immunity in Liberia.
It also highlights ongoing challenges in the governance of the mining sector, where overlapping claims, license expirations, and administrative lapses have frequently led to disputes over resource ownership.

As the Supreme Court prepares to review the petition during its October Term, A.D. 2025, legal observers say the outcome could set a significant precedent for ministerial liability and the enforcement of judgments involving the Government of Liberia.

Monrovia – Hours after Justice Minister Musa Dean disclosed to FrontPageAfrica that the suspended and sanctioned Solicitor General Syrenius Cephus doctored his signature in a purported letter to US Ambassador Michael McCarthy, the US Embassy has distanced itself from the communication.

Responding to a FrontPageAfrica inquiry Tuesday afternoon, Sean Boda, Public Affairs Officer at the embassy, said the embassy has no record of such a communication. “We have no record at the embassy of ever having received such a letter, Boda said.

The embassy’s denial follows a strong denial from Minister Dean who questioned the timing and motive of the SG’s purported letter.

The January 15, 2022 communication surfaced in the media and social media over the last 24 hours and was purportedly written by Minister Dean to Ambassador McCarthy informing him that the Solicitor General has been overlapping his functions.

The letter described Cllr. Cephus’ behavior as one which has the propensity to “impede the peace process of our country and the justice system. It is dangerous to have such a bad apple in public service.”

In a response to FrontPageAfrica early today, Minister Dean described the letter as “Complete forgery and the making of Cephus”, adding, “So, if he had this letter, dated January 15, 2022, what was he waiting for to bring it to the fore?”

When asked whether the signature was also forged, Cllr. Dean said, “I don’t know. Probably, the signature was traced or lifted. This is not my diction”.

He went on to say the email address (deanmusa95@gmail.com) that appears on the letter are also not his, giving My email addresses are: musdean@yahoo.com and frankmdeanjr@gmail.com as his working and only email address.

Cllr. Dean says the letter was doctored to make it appear that it was based on his complaint that he, Cllr. Cephus was added to the list of sanctioned officials.

FrontPageAfrica observed that January 15, 2022, fell on a Saturday, a non-working day. The letter also does not have any reference number.

Cllr. Cephus was among three key officials of the Weah-led government that were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on August 15.

The Treasury Department noted that the controversial Solicitor General developed close relationships with suspects of criminal investigations and received bribes from individuals in exchange for having their cases dropped. “Cephus has worked behind the scenes to establish arrangements with subjects of money laundering investigations to cease investigations in order to personally benefit financially. He shields money launderers and helps clear them through the court system and has intimidated other prosecutors in an attempt to quash investigations. Cephus has also utilized his position to hinder investigations and block the prosecution of corruption cases involving members of the government. Cephus has been accused of tampering with and purposefully withholding evidence in cases involving members of opposition political parties to ensure conviction.”

MONROVIA – Justice Minister Musa Dean has told FrontPageAfrica that the letter circulating on social media and other news media outlets suggesting that he reported the sanctioned and suspended Solicitor General to the U.S. Ambassador was doctored.

He described the letter as “Complete forgery and the making of Cephus”, adding, “So, if he had this letter, dated January 15, 2022, what was he waiting for to bring it to the fore?”

When asked whether the signature was also forged, Cllr. Dean said, “I don’t know. Probably, the signature was traced or lifted. This is not my diction”.

He went on to say the email address (deanmusa95@gmail.com) that appears on the letter are also not his, giving My email addresses are: musdean@yahoo.com and frankmdeanjr@gmail.com as his working and only email address.

The January 15, 2022 communication that only surfaced in the media this week was purportedly written by Min. Dean to the U.S. Ambassador Michael McCarthy informing him that the Solicitor General has been overlapping his functions.

The letter described Cllr. Cephus’ behavior as one which has the propensity to “impede the peace process of our country and the justice system. It is dangerous to have such a bad apple in public service.”

But Cllr. Dean says the letter was doctored to make it appear that it was based on his complaint that he, Cllr. Cephus was added to the list of sanctioned officials.

Cllr. Cephus was among three key officials of the Weah-led government that were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on August 15.

The Treasury Department noted that the controversial Solicitor General developed close relationships with suspects of criminal investigations and received bribes from individuals in exchange for having their cases dropped. “Cephus has worked behind the scenes to establish arrangements with subjects of money laundering investigations to cease investigations in order to personally benefit financially. He shields money launderers and helps clear them through the court system and has intimidated other prosecutors in an attempt to quash investigations. Cephus has also utilized his position to hinder investigations and block the prosecution of corruption cases involving members of the government. Cephus has been accused of tampering with and purposefully withholding evidence in cases involving members of opposition political parties to ensure conviction.”

The Solicitor General, according to the Treasury Department, is being designated for being a foreign person who is a current government official who is responsible for or complicit in, or who has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.

Meanwhile, the suspended Solicitor General has written President Weah complaining Cllr. Dean for ‘writing’ such a letter to the U.S. Ambassador.

He also called on the President to prevail on the U.S. Government to grant him the opportunity to be accorded due process and his “day in court to face Minister Dean and the rest of my accusers and to be confronted with the evidence that they have procured against me.”

MONROVIA – Criminal Court ‘C’ has issued a writ of subpoena for Justice Minster Frank Musah Dean and three others in connection with the alleged printing of extra L$2 billion banknotes.

Judge Yamie Gbeisay’s issued the writ of subpoena demanding the appearance of the top government officials before the court on July 28 to speak to their previous communications that all the banknotes printed by Crane Currency were accounted for by the Central Bank of Liberia.

Judge Gbeisay wants the Country Attorney General to surrender the original copy of his January 10, 2020 communications to Crane Currency Acting Commercial Director Peter Brown which led to the dismissal of the criminal indictment against the Swish Company.

In a January 10, 2020 communication signed the Minister of Justice, the ministry stated that after an exhaustive review of all information connected with allegations of additional or missing banknotes supplied, it established that every banknote manufactured by Crane was delivered to and accepted by the Central Bank of Liberia.

The Presiding Judge’s action is due an application filed by defense lawyer Counselor Abraham Sillah consistent with Chapter 17, Section 17.3 of the Criminal Procedure Law of Liberia.

The law states “At the request of either the prosecuting attorney or the defendant, a subpoena commanding each person to whom it is directed to attend and give testimony at a specified time and place or to produce books, documents or other things designated therein”.

Monrovia – Solicitor General Syrennius Cephus remained mute throughout Cllr. A. Nbuisi Nwabudike citizenship saga until the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) through its investigation concluded that the Nigerian lawyer fraudulently obtained his Liberian citizenship and could, therefore, no longer be a member of the national bar.

The LNBA’s conclusion and subsequent decision to expel Cllr. Nwabudike, who went back to head the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) after his flop at the Senate hearing upon his nomination as Chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC), did not come as a surprise to many due to the glaring discrepancies in various documents and his woeful failure to defend how he obtained his Liberian citizenship. The LNBA, however, received applause for being uncompromising on its decision.

However, when the dust was yet to settle, Solicitor General Cllr. Cephus wrote a 10-page document dubbed ‘legal opinion’ which sought to complain Justice Minister F. Musa Dean to the Minister of State, Nathaniel McGill.

It is no secret that Cllr. Cephus and Cllr. Dean have not had a cordial working relationship at the Justice Ministry. They have often gone in different directions on unfolding national issues and the presentation of legal opinions. The Ellen Corkrum recent saga is just one of those.

The Solicitor-General’s qualms stems from the Cllr. Dean’s decision to challenge Cllr. Nwabudike’s petition for Declaratory Judgment filed with the Civil Law Court. For him, the Justice Minister’s failure to intervene from the onset brought the office of the President to public disrepute.

Cllr. Cephus wrote:

Dear Minister McGill:

I feel absolutely disappointed about the seemingly unconventional   approach adopted by the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Cllr. Frank Musa Dean Jr., in the matter relating to the naturalization controversy of Cllr. A.N. Nwabudike. I do not only reject his decision to openly challenge the citizenship of   Cllr. A. N.  Nwabudike, a public official duly appointed by Your Excellency (Article 54), and still enjoys Your Excellency’s confidence, and serves at your pleasure (Article 56), but also, I find it difficult if not impossible to affix my signature to the pleadings written by Cllr. Dean and his team of lawyers regarding Cllr. Nwabudike’s petition for a declaratory judgment   filed at the Civil Law Court   for a number of   factual and legal reasons.

“We stand by the position contained in our Resistance to the Petition. Cllr. Nwabudike, conceding the legal soundness of our position, withdrew the Petition for Declaratory Judgment. The issue of the Declaratory Judgment is, therefore, moot”

Cllr. Frank Musah Deah, Justice Minister/Attorney General

According to Cllr. Cephus, the Minister of Justice should have taken seized of the naturalization controversy, by making a formal announcement to the effect, in order to save the government, specifically the office of the President from undue public scrutiny and political embarrassment.

He said, he expected the Justice Minister to have launched an investigation into the matter from the onset and subsequently advised the President on the way forward. He also expected that the Justice Minister would have discontinued at any stage any hearing pertaining to the matter before any of the criminal or civil law courts.

He noted that he could not fathom how Cllr. Dean arrived at the conclusion of challenging the naturalization documents of Cllr.  A.N. Nwabudke in the absence of   any investigation consistent with Title 4 Liberian Codes of Law Revised–Aliens and Nationality Law Section 21.3(2) on the age requirement argument.

However, other documents obtained by FrontPageAfrica revealed that Cllr. Cephus and other state prosecutors were cited for meeting on April 10, 2020 by Justice Minister Dean to discuss the Petition for Declaratory Judgment filed by Cllr. Nwabudike.

Justice Minister Dean informed FrontPageAfrica that Cllr. Cephus failed to register his difference of opinion on the decision to respond to and challenge Cllr. Nwabuidke’s petition against the Government of Liberia, neither did he reference said meeting in his legal opinion to the Minister of State.

Cllr. Dean informed FPA that meeting with prosecutors on April 10 led to the formulation of the Ministry’s response to the Petition for Declaratory Judgment filed by Cllr. Nwabudike.

“We stand by the position contained in our Resistance to the Petition. Cllr. Nwabudike, conceding the legal soundness of our position, withdrew the Petition for Declaratory Judgment. The issue of the Declaratory Judgment is, therefore, moot,” Cllr. Dean said.

For the Solicitor General, Cllr. Nwabudike being an agent of the President, should have been protected by the Justice Minister by not contesting his Petition for Declaratory Judgment.