MONROVIA-The Assistant Minister of Mines at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Emmanuel T.T. Swen has described as public sentiments a recent protest at the home of Liberian President, George M. Weah.
Minister Swen recently ruled in a diamond saga following an investigation that informed his decision to have ruled the way he did.
The Assistant Minister of Mines and Energy maintained that he did nothing wrong in rendering his final decision into the case relative to the direct ownership of the recently found diamond in Smith Town, Gbarpolu County.
Swen was reacting to a protest by some group of citizens he posted claiming ownership of the mineral found in that part of Liberia.
Swen termed their protest as unfortunate and politically motivated wondering “How can a County claim resources that directly belong to the Country.”
Despite the protest, Assistant Minister Swen said he will not be carried away by such politically motivated action because it has now become a new normal where people will stage unnecessary protests when they want to bend their way from following the real process.
“Let’s make use of the law and try to protect our peace” he added.
The Assistant Mines and Energy Minister at the same time appreciates and welcomes the President’s and Justice Ministry’s concerns into the matter which is aimed at looking into the case in order to bring it to its logical conclusion.
The protest he furthered was unfortunate, especially at a time when both parties went to the Supreme Court and the court threw the case out.
“Our lawyers and their lawyers including the diamond association officials were all present at the court and the court threw the case out,” he said.
He also said, “The following day, they put people in buses and went to the President’s place to protest just to buy public sentiments, this is unfair.”
Swen argued that “Why go protest when you have your lawyers still pushing the case?
According to him, the aggrieved party lawyers sent him (Swen) a communication objecting to his ruling a day after the court’s ruling, and at the same time they were protesting.
“This is a scare game and I will not buy into it” Swen said.
He said he met the legislative caucus of the County who wanted to see the need to address the issue and to know how and why he took the decision.
According to him, he told the county legislative caucus that he took the decision based on the available, necessary information and evidence provided to him and his verdict was impartial.
“What I did was administrative,” he said.
According to him, the court has the authority to reverse any decision as he is a law-abiding citizen who is at any time willing to submit himself to any investigation.
Mr. Swen challenged the aggrieved party if they are sure that they have merit to the case, let them wait for their lawyer instead of buying unfortunate public sentiments.
“What I can say of their protest and judgment given is that they don’t have merit into the case and that’s why they want to create public sentiments,” he said.
According to him, what he did was right and his conscience is very clear.
Unlike before, the aggrieved party signed a resolution along with their lawmaker stating that the diamond was not from Ma Fatu’s claim but rather from another claim that was not a part of the previous investigation.
According to him, the previous investigation did not show a third party as such, he ruled based on the two parties that were available.
” I am a young man, I aspire for greater things in this Country and this is my first major national duty to serve as Assistant Minister I will not rob myself of this opportunity, I will always do what is right and I will stand on the side of my conscience”, Mr. Swen told journalists.
Alphonso Toweh
Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters
He holds first MA with honors in International Relations and a candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia.