The Ministry of Natural Resources has directed the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) to review the mining licence held by Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd for land at Marudi Mountain, in Region Nine.
A statement from the GGMC said that the Marudi Mountain Mining Licence was granted to Romanex Guyana Exploration Ltd. on April 17th, 2009, after being held as a Prospecting Licence (large scale) from 1990 to 2009 by the company.
It also noted that the directive follows the ongoing investigation of illegal mining.
“The site visit revealed no mining or exploration on behalf of the company was ongoing, while the Company had earlier committed to carrying out exploration activities within the early part of 2013, however, it is evident that no work is expected to commence on the property in the near future as no mining plan has been submitted.
“The investigation resulted from the recent Operation El Dorado in Marudi Mountain which was conducted to investigate reports of illegal mining,” the statement added.
Efforts to contact Romanex for comment yesterday proved futile.
Stabroek News had in 2009 reported that Shoreham Resources Limited, a Canadian exploration company, had exercised an option to acquire 75% of the shares of Romanex, which is held by Infinito Gold Corporation (formerly Vannessa Ventures Incorporated). A press release from Shoreham had also announced that the company had signed an agreement with a French mining company Rexma Participacions (Rexma), for that company to work in Shoreham’s Marudi Mountain Gold Project.
The release had said that French gold mining company was looking to begin production at Marudi by November 1 of 2009 and had committed to major expansion of production capacity within the next two years.
Small miners in the Rupununi had petitioned the Ministry of Natural Resources to be allowed to mine on the Prospecting Licence of Romanex, saying that the company is occupying state lands while failing to execute the terms of its mining licence.
According to the letter from the Rupununi Miners Association, dispatched in December of last year, 193 petitioners inclusive of dredge owners, workers and other persons are legitimately involved in mining at Marudi and are directly affected by the action of Romanex Guyana.
“Mineral properties are limited to a few land claims and [while] the bulk of the land is under the Romanex Guyana control via its Mining Licence and Prospecting Licence. There are in excess of 25 mining operations in Marudi operating at the medium to small scale level. Competition for available land resources is very high,” the Association’s letter stated.
Noting that about 20 dredge owners have formed themselves into a group calling itself the Marudi Syndicate, the Association said that the Syndicate is requesting the relinquishing of an agreed and negotiated acreage of land controlled by Romanex Guyana from its ML or PL.
It is unclear if GGMC’s recent Operation Eldorado at Marudi Mountain area, which slapped three unauthorised dredges with cease orders and 11 others to move on, found any of the petitioners among the guilty.
Of the 14 illegal dredges, ten were Guyanese owned and the remaining four were Brazilian owned. The ministry said that most of the personnel employed by the dredges were Guyanese and of thirteen Brazilians, eight were without work permits.
