Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, today, inducted the new members of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB), urging them to address gold smuggling and to ensure high declarations of the metal, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said.
Trotman raised eyebrows recently when he stated that around 15,000 ounces of gold was being smuggled out of the country each week. His declaration led to questions about what the APNU+AFC government has done since the middle of last year to staunch this bleeding of revenues.
The Board members installed today are Joycelyn Williams, an Economist, who will serve as the Chairperson; John Yates, former Banker; serving as Deputy Chairperson; Lisaveta Ramotar, General Manager, Guyana Gold Board; Joanna Homer, Legal Officer, Ministry of Natural Resources; Theresa Foster, representative from the Bank of Guyana; Michael Somersall, Attorney at Law; Andron Alphonso, representative from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association (GGDMA) and Susan Bullen, Attorney at Law. A representative from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) is expected to be added to the line-up.
The release said that the Minister urged the Board to focus on combating gold smuggling, increasing production and declarations and challenged them to decide whether it was necessary to set-up offices in the mining districts to fulfil this mandate.
Williams expressed gratitude to the Minister and Government of Guyana for the confidence reposed in the Board members, even as she pledged its commitment to ensuring that gold output and declarations are significantly increased.