18 years and counting! …Miner accuses GGMC of defying court orders

Oct 30, 2025 News

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…blocking access to gold-rich lands near 5.4M-ounce deposit

By Renay Sambach

(Kaieteur News) – Local miner Wallace Daniels has accused the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) of deliberately stalling the approval of his mining permit for more than 18 years, despite repeated court rulings in his favour, a delay which he claims has cost him access to land sitting on the fringes of a 5.4-million-ounce gold deposit.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Daniels said his case has gone through the courts several times, yet the orders of Magistrate Allan Wilson and the High Court continue to be ignored by GGMC. “This is a process that usually take between three or seven months, this one has taken 2007 to 2025, 18 years and despite going through the court process several times, the judgment of the court the magistrate’s court the supreme court has still been blatantly ignored by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission,” he lamented.

Daniels, a surveyor and cartographer by profession, explained that around 2005, he was employed by ETK Inc. to compile a digital map and data for properties the company had acquired. He said that after an auction by GGMC, ETK purchased several additional properties, and once the auction was over, GGMC opened the process to the public for anyone interested in applying for remaining parcels.

“With the auctions being over I observed a number of properties small ones, little edges, that were not occupied, that were not applied for, were not listed as properties of anyone, and I applied for those properties, the last of them I applied for was in 2012,” Daniels said.

He explained that the current dispute involves some of those small parcels he applied for over a decade ago. “These little properties that I applied for, that were not listed as owned by anyone, that were open, that I applied for, it turns out that afterwards, other people…feel like they wanted those properties, and that is what this issue is all about,” he stated.

Daniels said that after he applied, a notice was published giving the public an opportunity to object. However, there were no objections at that time.

The property at the center of the saga is parallel to the Puruni River in the Toroparu Backdam, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), located near property owned by the Alphonso family and near properties controlled by ETK Inc. a company , owned by Canadian company Aris Mining Corporation.

Back in 2012, GGMC Commissioner Newell Dennison had invited Daniels to a meeting attended by Andron Alphonso and his lawyers in an effort to mediate after Alphonso claimed he would have applied for the land that Daniels applied for, had he known the land was available. However, that mediation failed.

In February 2016, Alphonso formally objected to Daniels being granted Prospecting Permits Medium Scale (PPMS), arguing that his river claims extended 300 feet inland.

Notably, Alphonso owns river claims filed in 2009, covers 34 claims along the Puruni River one mile upstream and 300 feet inland on both sides. Daniels’ application, however, was for land 300 feet north and south of the river, adjacent to Alphonso’s claims.

While the matter remained unresolved, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat issued a retroactive order on May 3, 2023, closing the disputed area from December 6, 2012 one day before Daniels’ application.

A tribunal chaired by Magistrate Allan Wilson had found Daniels’ actions were neither illegal nor injurious to Alphonso. On May 20, 2024, Magistrate Wilson ruled that GGMC “ought to grant and approve the application of Mr. Wallace Edgar Daniels dated 7th December 2012.”

The tribunal later ruled that under Guyana’s mining laws, river claims cannot legally include the 300 feet inland from the low-water mark, striking down Alphonso’s argument and nullifying the ministerial order.

However, GGMC to date has not abide to the magistrate’s ruling and had moved to the high court twice in 2024 seeking a judicial review of the tribunal’s decision but was dismissed on both occasions.

“The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission has totally ignored the court order,” Daniels stated.

Because of the Commission’s inaction, he said his operations have suffered, with equipment and fuel seized or disappearing. “Within that four day period 60 drums of diesel disappear now that is what we have been subject to and similar things over the years. What we are asking for is what have been granted twice already,” he said.

Daniels explained that his application was accepted and processed, and a notice of publication appeared in the Official Gazette. He said GGMC’s internal records also reflect this. “You apply for it and it is investigated to be determined that it is available it is then that there is a first publication in the official gazette…the public is notified that this is applied for and if you have any objection, you can file an application, nothing was filed…is it then published again that this is now the property of Wallace Daniels, that has never been done,” he explained.

He noted that the second publication, which finalises the process, has never been issued to this day.

Project proximity

The disputed lands sit near the massive Toroparu Gold Project, owned by Canadian company Aris Mining through its subsidiary, ETK Inc. The project, boasting 5.4 million ounces in gold resources, is among Guyana’s largest mining developments.

Notably, during a recent visit to the Toroparu area, Kaieteur News observed that Daniels’ team must use ETK’s access road to reach the area, which is controlled by two gated checkpoints.  At the gates, names are taken as well as photos of the vehicle and in some instances phone calls have to be made before persons are allowed to use the ETK access road. Daniels has complained that of recently, his workers are not being allowed through the ETK gates.

Aris Mining’s Toroparu project is an exploration-stage open-pit gold-copper deposit. An updated Mineral Resource Estimate released on March 14, 2023, confirmed 5.4 million ounces of measured and indicated gold resources and 1.2 million ounces inferred, along with 118,000 tonnes of copper.

Notably, according to information from the company’s website, the project site was first mined by Alfro Alphonso in 1997 and explored by ETK from 1999 under a joint venture with Alphonso. ETK acquired full ownership in 2020, paying US$20 million to exercise its option, while Alphonso retained certain alluvial rights and access privileges. A 2011 mineral agreement between ETK and the Government of Guyana established a tiered gold royalty of 5% for prices up to US$1,000 per ounce and 8% for prices above that, along with a 1.5% royalty on other minerals. ETK also secured an investment agreement with GO-Invest granting tax exemptions on project-related imports.

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• Court orders, defying, GGMC, gold, Miners

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