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Thursday July 15, 2021

A MINING COMPANY TAKES GGMC, MINISTER VICKRAM BHARRAT TO COURT OVER ARBITRARY LICENCE REVOCATION

GARBAGE THREATENS TO SHUT DOWN BOURDA MARKET

MAN REMANDED FOR KILLING UNCLE

Thursday July 15, 2021

A MINING COMPANY TAKES GGMC, MINISTER VICKRAM BHARRAT TO COURT OVER ARBITRARY LICENCE REVOCATION

A quarry company has filed a lawsuit against the Government and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission for an illegal cancelation of its licence without following the legal process.

The company, Benjamin’s Marine and Salvage Services Inc and its lawyer, Siand Dhurjon, have filed the lawsuit naming the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, and the Commissioner of the GGMC, Mr Newell unknown company Dennison, as respondents called ‘York Investment contended that the law in the matter, in which Inc’ before BMSS was provides that the GGMC or its Commissioner cannot unilaterally cancel a quarry licence, but rather the law requires that the licence holder must first be notified of the reasons for any intended cancellation and be given 30 days to rectify any default or breaches it may be guilty of.

After many attempts to make good on its breaches and any representations by the licence holder, there must be a reconsideration by the GGMC and its both parties are accused ever notified of the Commissioner as to of playing a part in GGMC’s intent to cancel whether the licence illegally cancelled its licence. should be cancelled.

It was explained that BMSS’ quarry licence The Applicant added which was granted since in March 2021 a terse that the law requires letter was sent by the that a licence may not June 29, 2017.

This lawsuit comes Commissioner to BMSS be cancelled for nonafter the Commissioner outlining 10 breaches of payment of royalties if on April 17, 2021, BMSS obligations under those royalties have been reportedly cancelled its quarry licence. paid off before the 30The company day period.

BMSS’ licence without following the mandatory contended that the only It was explained by the statutory procedure true and substantial applicant that although it under Section 52 of breach concerned the was in default of paying royalty royalties for four years, the Mining Act. The outstanding company is seeking payments which the on many occasions from the court’s intervention Commissioner himself April 2020 to March 2021 for the reversal of such was refusing.

BMSS sought to pay its The other breaches royalties. BMSS went actions.

In a document seen, it were either non-existent as far as to write a letter trivial.

BMSS to the Commissioner on was noted that this case or that the March 25, 2021, sending came as a direct result explained of the Commissioner’s Commissioner took steps a cheque of $1,191,120 illegal actions on display to intentionally deprive to satisfy the arrears in the minutes of the BMSS of its licence to of outstanding rentals GGMC’s board meeting clear the way for York but the Commissioner on February 18, 2021, Investments Inc to replied refusing the where a decision was benefit from the quarry cheque and its payment made to hand BMSS’ rights under the land. in flagrant breach of the In the lawsuit, it is Mining Act. quarrying rights to an

The lawsuit also contended that when BMSS would go to pay the rentals at the GGMC, the staff would tell the company that they were given instructions not to accept any royalty payments from BMSS. BMSS has also noted that if indeed the quarry licence was properly cancelled by the Commissioner, the quarry rights to the state lands held under the licence should have been “held in reserve for disposal by a process of bidding or lottery of which the general public shall be advised”.

But such a public process was never embarked upon. Instead, York Investment Inc was specially chosen for the grant of the quarry licence.

BMSS explained that only in May 2021 it ascertained that the Commissioner and the GGMC wanted to give out its land to another company when it saw a Notice of Intent to Grant a Quarry Licence in the Official Gazette dated 1st May 2021.

Before the grant could be made BMSS quickly served proceedings.

The said lawsuit was filed seeking an injunction against the Commissioner and the GGMC illegal action to give the quarry licence to another entity.

Minister Vickram

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Bharrat is also being sued because under the law he is responsible for approving any

GGMC, the GGMC, and the Minister to achieve the cancellation of the quarry licence of BMSS and the intended grant to York of a licence overlaying the same areas held by BMSS are disproportionate, in breach of their statutory duty, arbitrary, a nullity, of no legal effect, ultra vires, unreasonable, irrational, unfair, abuse of power, unconstitutional, whimsical, capricious, contrary to legitimate expectation, against their own policy and without any legal foundation or authority.

York Investment Inc was only set up on paper in October 2019.

cancellation of a licence since in February 2021, BMSS wrote the Minister seeking his intervention in the issue and the Minister did not respond or assist in any way.

The BMSS is contending that the disruptive and widescale nature of quarrying operations, two quarry licenses would not usually be granted to more than one entity over the same land (sections 26(2) and 91(v) the Mining Act).

This why if the Commissioner and the GGMC fulfil their published intention to grant the quarry licence to York Investment Inc that will effectively deprive BMSS of an opportunity to quarry on the land.

This according to the lawsuit stands part of the actions of the Commissioner of the

According to BMSS, no audited financial statements for it have ever been filed and that its registered address is operated by another business that initially attempted to refuse service of the court documents today but reluctantly did so after a second attempt at service.

BMSS is one of the largest tug and barge operators in Guyana.

York Investment Inc has no known expertise or experience in the quarry business or in any business and it has only one individual on its documents listed as both its director and incorporator.

It was only mid-June, 2021 that another lawsuit was filed against GGMC and its Commissioner for illegally giving out 16,500 acres of state lands for quarry operations to Hadi’s World Inc..

Thursday July 15, 2021

Garbage threatens to shut down Bourda Market

Bourda Market vendors are yet again registering their frustration for the manner in which garbage disposal is managed in the inner section of the market.

They are calling for swift action on a problem that has been going on for years.

These complaints

manner? I think this is ridiculous.

“Can we stop COVID if we cannot get help in the sanitary area? They need to do better this,” a vendor explained.

The vendor also explained that it is rather unfair for them since the vendors within a particular area continue to lose a sale but have

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to bear the burden of revenues for services in which is not really provided at a level that is acceptable.

“If you look around here with all these stalls around here are closed everybody takes the outside market. This stall next to me shut up for months now and the girl in front says that she not going to pay any rent when she cannot get market in here.

“They are out on the road making a dollar.

The stall on the western corner, they are closed also. The eastern corner stalls are also closed off and everyone is on the road.

need to stop vending on the road because that is where the garbage coming from.

A lot of vagrants in the market bring it and dumping it therefrom vendors on the road.” a vendor insisted.

This issue has led to some parts of the market being easily flooded when the rains fall.

That issue according

they don’t have anyone here that could throw that amount of garbage here. So the people that vending on the road

to some has been happening due to the lack of the council to properly manage the area.

“It is unfair for us. We have to pay rent; my rent is $26,000 a month and you don’t know if you are getting 26 dollars per day.”

The vendor is calling on the authorities to find a solution to a problem that has been occurring for years and yet there have been no suitable interventions by the

experiencing technical difficulties.

Narine said that while receiving the complaints from the vendor, in order

come days after garbage in several parts of the market garbage has been piling up. The situation has so far affected the business of many due to the current condition of the market in a COVID-19 environment.

Vendors at the market are calling on the authorities to fix the current problem at the market since business in a market where sales aren’t at the level as in the past.

“We have to work in this environment, I think this is extremely ridiculous and then they are talking about COVID. How can we avoid COVID in this

to remedy the situation, some garbage disposal trucks were discharged in the affected areas.

The solution however to such a problem, according to another vendor, would only come if the vendors and vagrants stop their illegal dumping.

“A lot of stalls in here is vacant; they don’t have nobody selling. So,

authorities.

Over the past few days, vendors in the inner market area are seeing large piles of garbage being heaped in various sections of the market.

This, according to the Head of Solid Waste Department, Walter Narine, is mainly because the machine used in the disposal of the garbage is currently

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Thursday July 15, 2021

Almost one week after allegedly beating his uncle to death with a piece of wood over some plantains, a 27-year-old Leguan, resident was slapped with the charge of murder and was remanded to prison.

Man remanded for killing uncle

The defendant, Melroy Moore, of Phoenix, Leguan appeared in the Leonora Magistrate’s Court, via skype before Magistrate Esther Sam in the Suddie Magistrate’s Court and was not required to enter a plea to

the charge of murder.

Moore was charged for the murder of his uncle, 51-year-old Aubrey Jonas, called Badja, a farmer of Phoenix, Leguan on July 7 at Leguan Island, Essequibo River. He has

been remanded to prison until July 29.

On the day of the murder, the two men had an argument over some plantains that were picked without the permission of the Uncle, according to Jonas’s niece.

At the time of the incident, the niece said that she observed Moore entering her uncle’s farmland and picking some plantains.

Shortly after, Jonas came out the back dam with a cutlass in his hand and asked his nephew, Moore, who gave him permission to pick the plantains.

In his anger, Jonas said, “You touch the plantains and you went see what gon happen to

you.” It was then that an argument erupted.

Subsequently, they both left and went their separate ways.

However, the argument did not stop there, as shortly after Moore armed himself with a knife and went to the Phoenix Koker and sat.

It then continued. As Jonas was walking past Moore heading into the village, the argument started yet again.

It was during that time, that Jonas got physical by lashing the Moore with his cutlass on his leg.

This resulted in the Moore going into his mother’s yard and arming himself with a piece of wood which

he used to deal with several lashes to the victim’s head resulting in injuries and then made good his escape on foot.

Jonas while being unconscious was picked up by his niece, who had videoed what transpired and others, and taken to Leguan Cottage Hospital.

While being treated for his injuries, Jonas eventually succumbed to about 16:00 hours.

About 17:00 hours the same day, acting on information received, police went to an abandoned house in Phoenix Leguan, where Moore was contacted, told of the allegations, and arrested.

Jags Aviation plane suffers tyre blowout on landing

A Caravan operated by JAGS Aviation suffered landing gear damage at Iteringbang today. The mishap occurred shortly before noon when the

plane landed on the hinterland strip. Initial reports indicate that the aircraft suffered a tyre blowout.

The plane was under

the command of Lt. Col. Mohinder Ramjag.

There were no injuries, according to a source close to Jags Aviation.

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Saturday July10, 2021

Guyana Revenue Authority Initiates Customs Administration Modernization Consulting Project

to share its experience and know-how.

The two countries expect that the consulting project which is expected to be for a duration of eight months will bring shifts in Guyana Customs administration in various fields, including risk management, cargo management and item classification, and contribute to the automation of Guyana’s Customs administration.

On June 4, 2021, in keeping with an aid agreement between Korea Customs Service and the GRA, a delegation of six consultants from KCS visited the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) located in Georgetown and

commenced consultations for the Modernization of the Guyana Customs Administration.

The 50-day visit to Guyana is part of an effort to strengthen cooperation between GRA and KCS, and to conclude with the delivery of a final report

which will recommend a future model for Guyana Customs.

During the visit, the project team will introduce UNI-PASS, Korea’s e-customs clearance system and hold seminars on Korea’s Customs Administration

Two charged with taxi driver murder, one reportedly confesses

Seyon James

Kenty Bacchus

Two men who were reportedly fingered in the brutal killing of a taxi driver during a robbery and later dumping his body in the Ogle area have been charged and remanded to jail for murder.

The two Kenty Bacchus, called ‘Trini’, and Seyon James, called

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‘Lil Alfey’ appeared before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court and were both not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge.

It is alleged that the two on June 30, 2021, at Block 1 Ogle, East Coast Demerara, murdered

53-year-old taxi driver, Kenrick Trim, during the course and furtherance of a robbery The two were later remanded to prison until August 6, 2021.

Reports are that the body Trim, of Belfield Housing Scheme; East Coast Demerara, was found just after 9:00 am

the said morning. It was believed that he may have been dumped there with stab wounds and a battered body.

An examination of the body found that Trim had multiple stab wounds about his body. There were bloodstains on the mouth and around the nostrils.

His car was also reportedly found a short distance away from the body with the key still in

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the ignition and the radio on.

It was during the investigation that police then nabbed one suspect who revealed that he had linked up with the other suspect while serving prison time for simple larceny of a cell phone.

The confessor then noted that on the day of the incident he was picked up from the bus park and two went to a snackette located at Carmichael Street to purchase something to eat.

The confessor reportedly told police that he told the other man that he was in need of a place to stay since he was homeless at the time.

Subsequently, after spending some time at the snackette the two then stopped a car that Trim was driving and they both entered.

It was further explained by the confessor that he was seated behind the driver and the other man was seated behind the front passenger seat. He reportedly said that as they got to Ogle one of them grabbed the taxi driver by his neck and choked him “until he passed out.”

They then pulled the deceased over to the back seat but he was still moving so one of them dealt the taxi driver several stabs about his body.

Shortly after, the two removed the valuables from the man, threw out the body, and later parked the car in another spot. The murder weapon was discharged in some bushes nearby while the two subsequently escaped on foot to a minibus close to the area.

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