By Svetlana Marshall

A miner, who has been battling to have full access to mining concessions at Toroparu over the past 13 years, is accusing the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) of ignoring the rulings of the Courts in favor of a single large-scale miner.

Miner and Surveyor, Wallace Daniels, today said it has been an uphill task to acquire a mining permit to mine on four mining blocks in Toroparu in the Puruni Mining District, although having secured Permits to Prospect, and having at least two Court rulings in his favor.

He had submitted his applications back in 2012 to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.

“The matter went through the courts, and the courts at every level came to the same conclusion that the properties were acquired legitimately, honestly, and straight forward without any hanky-panky or any favors,” Daniels told reporters today during a press conference.

But in a press statement on Tuesday the GGMC said neither Wallace Daniels nor his associate Marvis Halliman holds any permit, licence or other document issued by the Commission to prospect or mine within the area. The Commission said at no time did it publish in the Official Gazette any notice of intention to grant State Land to Daniels nor was a draft permit or mineral property document ever prepared for issuance to either Daniels or Halliman.

However, on May 20, 2024, Principal Magistrate Allan Wilson, who was appointed a Hearing Officer by the GGMC, in ruling on the matter, said the GGMC ought to grant and approve the application of Daniels dated December 7, 2012.

In arriving at the decision, Magistrate Wilson said while there was an objection by Andron Alphonso to the granting of the Prospecting Permits Medium Scale to Daniels on the grounds that his river claim in 2009 includes the 300 feet in land, the evidence suggests that the area applied for by Daniels did not include the Puruni River.

Added to that, Magistrate Wilson said Alphonso’s application in 2009 was in contravention of the Mining Regulation since river claims cannot by law include 300 feet in lands from the low water mark on each bank of the river.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, GGMC filed for Judicial review. However, High Court Judge Jacqueline Josiah-Graham dismissed the application. GGMC’s application for Judicial review sought to quash Magistrate Wilson’s decision.

Daniels today told reporters that in the absence of a mining permit, he is limited to doing only prospecting on the land.

“If you are just prospecting, you cannot be having an excavator or two excavators digging a hole that is 500 cubic yards per day and say oh I am only prospecting. We have never gotten to that level. All our prospecting has been by men with shovels. We have recently gotten the use of excavators but they have never been able to work, even the places the excavators are, they have been photographed, some of them 20ft by 50ft, and only about 2ft or 3ft deep. We have never been able to complete a proper prospection since the excavators were available,” Daniels complained.

Things escalated last weekend, when GGMC, in the presence of the Police, broke down a camp manned by Halliman. Halliman and two of his security officers were also taken into custody but subsequently released.

But the GGMC said it had long received reports that Halliman was facilitating illegal mineral operations in the area claimed by Daniels. It said following the initial report in June 2023, the Commission undertook various levels of enforcement activities to halt the unlawful mining of State lands.

“GGMC’S investigations found that Mr Halliman facilitated entry into the Toroparu area via the ETK access road for a significant number of individuals who have no legal tenure nor permission to operate on any legal tenure in the area,” the Commission said while naming a total of 42 persons.

GGMC said thus far, eight persons listed have provided statements and receipts to GGMC, confirming payment to Halliman and his agents, in exchange for access to the location to conduct mining operations.

Daniels denied the allegations by GGMC. He said it is clear that the GGMC is bent on blocking him from having the opportunity to mine the land.

“We don’t know what is left to do…All that we have left is the occasional invasion by mines officers and police because sometimes we don’t know which is whish because they put on black clothes and come with masks, so you don’t know who is who. Sometimes, one mine officer is there out of 11 or 12 people but the essence is onto destroy equipment, terrify people, the object is to prevent me from going to the next step of developing these four properties,” Daniels said.

Michelle Halliman, who said she witnessed first-hand the use of excessive force by both the police and GGMC officers last weekend, claims that prior to the September 1 Elections, the Natural Resources Minister had assured that the requisite approval would be granted following the elections, and had reportedly given the green light to work.

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