Pastor discovers 706-carat diamond in Sierra Leone, then gives it to the government

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In this photo taken from video footage, Sierra Leone's President Ernest Bai Koroma handles a 706-carat diamond presented to him during a meeting with delegates of Kono district, where the gem was found, at the presidential office in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Thursday. Photo: AP

Published: 10:27am, 17 Mar 2017Updated: 9:46pm, 17 Mar 2017

A pastor in Sierra Leone has discovered the largest uncut diamond found in more than four decades in this West African country and has turned it over to the government, saying he hopes it helps to boost recent development in his impoverished nation.

Pastor Emmanuel Momoh found the 706-carat alluvial diamond in Yakadu village in Sierra Leone’s diamond-rich east, and it was presented to President Ernest Bai Koroma on Wednesday, said presidential spokesman Abdulai Bayraytay.

The yellowish gem, a bit smaller than a hockey puck, is the second-largest diamond ever found in Sierra Leone. In 1972, the 968.9-carat Star of Sierra Leone was found by miners and sold for about US$2.5 million.

In this photo taken from video footage, Sierra Leone's Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray admires the 706-carat diamond during a meeting with delegates of Kono district at the presidential office in Freetown. Photo: AP

Momoh tsaid that he turned in the diamond because he was touched by the development being undertaken in Kono District, where the gem was found. He cited road construction and improvements to electricity after almost 30 years of blackouts.

“I believe the government can do more, especially at a time when the country is undergoing some economic challenges,” he said.

Sierra Leone’s diamond wealth fueled a decade-long civil war that ended in 2002. Despite its mineral wealth, the country remains one of the poorest in the world.

It was not immediately clear how the pastor came across the diamond.