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‘Gold’ boat heist…GGMC officials head to Curacao
In light of the recent US multi-million-dollar gold heist in Curacao, at least two senior officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) left for the Dutch-speaking territory last night in a continuing effort to ascertain the origin of the cargo.
The trip, Kaieteur News was told, will complement ongoing investigations to establish whether the 70 gold bars valued at US$11.5M (G$2.3B) belonged to Guyana or whether the country had shares in the suspected smuggled metal.
Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Joslyn McKenzie, had confirmed the Curacao trip prior to the team’s departure. He said that the Ministry had instructed the move. At the time he informed that the schedule was still being finalized, since assistance was requested from the Curacao government for the dissemination of information.
The PS along with Minister Robert Persaud assured that with regard to the team’s work, information would be divulged as soon as it is made available.
While it was initially believed that the precious metal had been smuggled from Guyana, later reports highlighted that the bulk of the metal may have belonged to Suriname traders and a Chinese mining company. Guyana reportedly had a small portion involved.
The Guyana government has denied knowledge of the gold, citing that permission was never given for the shipment. The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) also denied that its members may have been involved. The Guyana Gold Board, which handles the purchasing of gold, said that for some time, no permission had been given to have gold transported out of Guyana by sea.
It was aboard “Summer Bliss”, a Guyanese registered vessel, that the gold was reportedly stolen by several heavily armed masked men who had dressed as police officers and barged in on the ship’s crew members. The assailants escaped in three motorcars.
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