Miner alleges being bullied by gold-magnate in Reg. 7

Sep 24, 2025 News

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…says GGMC still to issue permit even after failed legal challenges
…alleges his life was threatened

Kaieteur News – A medium-scale miner is pointing fingers at a Guyanese gold magnate for being bullied for a plot of mining land in the Toroparu Backdam, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), claiming that the situation is being enabled by a lax Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

On Tuesday, Marvis Halliman shared video evidence of a man, purportedly an employee of the large-scale gold miner, armed with a rifle and demanding that he and his workers vacate the land. In the video, a confrontation unfolds between Halliman and the armed man. Halliman could be heard saying that he informed the men that 300 feet from the river is a plot of land not owned by the large-scale miner.

However, the man with the rifle could be seen cranking the trigger and shoving another man, while ordering, “y’all move from here, you hear what I telling alyuh…I warning y’all right…”

As Halliman told an excavator operator, “you can’t work here brother…” the armed man responded, “you stop he and you gon see what gon happen.”

The exchange grew heated, with both sides trading expletives. At one point, the armed man declared, “Y’all please come off this land…I don’t concern what any of y’all say,” to which Halliman responded, “come off what land, come off what land boy…you cranking gun on an innocent man…”

Speaking with Kaieteur News on Tuesday, Halliman said the armed man threatened to kill him and disclosed that five shots were fired in his direction.

Halliman disclosed that the issue dates back to December 2012, when his uncle, Wallace Daniels, discovered a strip of land parallel to the Puruni River that was unclaimed, though located near property owned by the Guyanese gold magnate, the Alphonsos.

He shared that after discovering the land was available, his uncle applied to GGMC, and at that time there were no legal challenges or objections.

According to GGMC documents seen by this publication, Daniels was invited to a meeting by GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison which was attended by Andron Alphonso and his lawyers. The meeting was an attempt to mediate a compromise after Alphonso complained he would have applied had he known the land was available. However, that mediation failed.

According to the document, Andron Alphonso owns river claims filed for in 2009, covering 34 claims along the Puruni River, one mile upstream and 300-feet inland on both sides. Daniels’ application, however, was for the 300-feet north and south of the river, adjacent to the Alphonso property. The document states that Daniels’ actions were neither injurious to Alphonso nor illegal.

However, in February 2016, Alphonso objected to Daniels being granted Prospecting Permits Medium Scale (PPMS), arguing that his 2009 river claims included the 300 feet inland.

A tribunal chaired by Magistrate Allan Wilson heard the matter and in May 2024, ruled in Daniels’ favour. Magistrate Wilson held that under Guyana’s mining regulations, river claims cannot by law include 300-feet inland from the low-water mark, meaning Alphonso’s claims did not cover the disputed strip.

Halliman recounted, “The magistrate ruled in our favor ordering GGMC, the commission to grant us our permits and strike out the minister order.” He said despite the ruling, GGMC stalled the process, telling him two months later that no permit would be issued. “[Name withheld] tell me that no magistrate can’t tell he what to do because what he told the magistrate to do, he didn’t do and the decision will be appealed,” Halliman alleged.

The minister’s order Halliman mentioned, is one made by Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat. On May 3, 2023, Minister Bharrat issued a retroactive order closing the disputed area from December 6, 2012, which is the day before Daniels made his application to GGMC.

Halliman said he confronted the minister, “He said yes he closed the area, I said what reason you closed the area…so I told him y’all can’t close this area, this is prejudice to favor Alphonso…I said too that a person property right can’t be affected by a retroactive order, y’all can’t go till back to benefit somebody else.”

In 2024, GGMC moved to the high court seeking a judicial review of the tribunal’s decision. Some of the respondents in the case sought a dismissal through their lawyers.

The respondents argued that the case was improperly filed and lacked grounds. The court dismissed GGMC’s case, ruling that when Daniels applied in 2012 there were no objections, and that Alphonso only showed interest in the land after the application was filed. It was noted too that even after showing interest in the land, Alphonso never made a formal application for the same plot of land.

In December 2024, GGMC again moved to the high court this time seeking to quash Magistrate Wilson’s decision, arguing the permits granted overlapped with land already reserved by the 2023 ministerial order. GGMC contended that the order approved prospecting permits for Daniels in an area that had already been reserved and closed to mining. The commission argued too that the tribunal decision was unlawful, unreasonable, unfair, and an abuse of power. GGMC asked the court to quash this decision unless Magistrate Wilson can show cause.

However, the court dismissed that challenge as well.

Halliman said that despite GGMC’s repeated failed legal challenges, the commission has still not issued the permits. He also shared two letters dated September 16, 2025 addressed to Minister Bharrat and Robeson Benn, Senior Advisor on Security & Natural Resources seeking their intervention. However, it is unsure if the officials received the letters.

He also shared videos showing persons purportedly working for the large-scale miner operating on the disputed land, despite it being out of their land claims. On Tuesday afternoon, Kaieteur News contacted Commissioner Dennison, who declined to comment even before hearing the question. Attempts to reach the Alphonso’s were also unsuccessful. Their office said no one was available, but took a name and number.
Caption:

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• bullied, GGMC, gold-magnate, miner, Permit

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