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Gold miner forced off Kuribrong land by raiders
– despite irrevocable Power of Attorney
Imagine being entrusted with blocks of land for mining purposes and having your documentation in order, only to have ‘raiders’ install dredges on that land.
35-year-old miner Shiek Halfrose
And then imagine being told that that land is state land which you have no stake in, though you are the holder of a prospecting permit, through Power of Attorney, for the said land. And then you have to watch others work your land while you suffer heavy financial losses.
This is the predicament that 35-year-old gold miner, Sheik Halfrose, finds himself in. According to Halfrose, of 52 Third Avenue, Bartica, he acquired his land at Kuribrong, Region Eight, on January 15, 2016 by way of Power Attorney.
He said that he discovered the raiders on his property that same month and in March he returned to the property with mines officers from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). He stated that at the time, cease work orders were issued to two separate operations on the land.
The father of three, who stressed that something must be done before either himself or one of his 12 employees were hurt, produced several pieces of documentation to support his contention that the land was his.
Halfrose produced a prospecting permit, which was granted to Telford Layne until June 1, 2017. The tract of land, as stated on the permit, is located in the Potaro Mining district No 2, at the confluence of the Kuribrong and Amaila River.
He also produced an irrevocable limited Power of Attorney, which was issued on January 15. It gave Halfrose the power to “sell and operate the said mining block, on behalf of (Layne); to apply and take out all concession licences in relation to the mining block.”
The Power of Attorney, which grants control of the land to Sheik Halfrose.
The Prospecting Licence which was issued to Telford Layne.
The Power of Attorney also stipulated that Halfrose had the power “to pay all rental and fees at GGMC” and “in general to do all and every requisite thing in the day to day running of the block.”
In spite of the documentation he holds, the opposing side has held on to the notion of ownership and has gone public. Halfrose, whose frustration has reached a boiling point, was forced to make police reports of threats and even gunplay to the Bartica Police Station
Video footage
Kaieteur News was able to view footage taken by Halfrose from his mobile device after his attempts to confront the ‘raiders’ were rebuffed.
According to Halfrose, he was fired on by one of the raiders. Halfrose, who is a licensed firearm holder, chose the path of least resistance, but returned in order to obtain video evidence of the situation.
In the footage, the ‘raiders’ can be heard telling Halfrose that he did not own any land there and daring him to do something about the situation. The taunts included “you can carry that (film) to the marines.”
When Halfrose asked why they were working on the land without permission, the response was “just like how people working, we working.” The man went on to say, on film “Government got to pull in their tail! They frighten for people call their name.”
Halfrose called on the relevant authorities to do their job in a professional and timely manner, especially as lives may be at stake.
Noting that officials seem at a loss about the true status of his land, Halfrose referenced his documentation and made it clear that the law must be respected.
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