Dear Editor,
AS many have already observed, Gabriel GHK Lall’s press conference with HGP to address these recent allegations surrounding the former Head of the Guyana Gold Board (GGB) and his connection to individuals linked to gold smuggling operations is of serious concern.
This connection is not a coincidence. Two key relationships point directly to a corrupt cycle that deserves full scrutiny.
First, Travis Chase has a reputation as a mouthpiece for (secondly) Azruddin Mohamed, who’s facing gold smuggling charges in the US. Chase isn’t just a media figure; he’s tangled up with some shady players in the gold trade.
He also used to work closely with GHK Lall, that relationship alone makes people uneasy about corruption and hidden influence.
In 2019, when Lall was still in charge, the Gold Board handed a gold dealer’s license to Adolphus Mining Inc. quickly.
Chase and Ryan Adolphus co-own the company. People were already questioning the company’s legitimacy and the owners’ criminal records, but the approval sailed through anyway. It’s hard not to see that as a major lapse in oversight, and honestly, it just screams misconduct.
Not to mention Lall, who served as Chairman of the Gold Board from 2015 to 2020, and according to the US indictment, authorities began investigating gold smuggling by Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed, in 2017.
The Mohameds are alleged to have paid state officials, including those at the Guyana Gold Board, to facilitate their corruption scheme.
As H.E. Dr. Irfaan Ali would have mentioned, the government is deeply committed to ensuring that public officials, their associates, and any individuals complicit in illicit activities face the consequences of their actions.
We will be working closely with law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, and international partners to examine every angle of this case. We will not allow this corrupt cycle to continue unchecked.
People must trust the institutions that shape our lives, especially the ones keeping watch over something as big as the gold industry. So, we’re all going in on this investigation.
We’re talking about real transparency, nothing swept under the rug, and if someone’s done wrong, we’ll handle it, no excuses. We know folks are worried, and we’re not ignoring that. We’re putting real safeguards in place to make sure this kind of mess doesn’t repeat itself. From now on, we’re standing on three things: transparency, accountability, and integrity. That’s not just talking, it’s a promise.
Yours truly,
Patricia Johnson