Pastor who found 706-carat diamond pledges to build 'magnificent church' after it's sold

A Sierra Leone pastor who found one of the world's largest uncut diamonds said that he wants to build a school and a "magnificent church" in the village where the stone was discovered.

The 706-carat diamond was reportedly discovered by workers of Pastor Emmanuel Momoh in Sierra Leone's eastern Kono district.

Momoh, an independent miner, surrendered the diamond last week to President Ernest Bai Koroma to express his appreciation for the development projects being implemented by the government in their area.

In a statement, the president expressed his gratitude to the local chief from Kono, who surrendered the precious stone on Momoh's behalf, for not smuggling it out of the country.

"He [Koroma] underscored the importance of selling such a diamond here as it will clearly give the owners what is due them and benefit the country as a whole," the statement said.

The government is planning to auction the diamond and use the money to fund more government projects. Momoh said that he plans to give his tithes and build a school as well as a state-of-the-art bridge in the village where he found the stone.

"First and foremost, I will have to give my tithes. I promised God. I know that God still has a plan for me," the pastor said, according to Tuko.

"We have to make a bridge, we have to build a school, and we have to improve the lives of the people," he continued, noting that he also plans to build a "magnificent church."

The discovery is said to be the 13th largest uncut diamond ever found in the world. Such discovery is considered rare for an independent miner, given that they mostly use their bare hands and basic tools when they dig for stones.

Sierra Leone is known as one of the seven African countries whose "blood" diamonds prompted a civil war. The pastor's discovery is likely to be sold out of the country, as the United Nations lifted the ban on the region's diamond exports in 2003.

It is not known how much the precious stone is going to fetch at the auction, but it is expected be sold at a price not less than US$40 million, considering that an 813-carat stone was sold for US$63 million.