A 25-year-old Venezuelan national, Jose Manuel Garvajal, was on Wednesday charged with the murder of fellow Venezuelan gold miner Yosber Alberto Rivero Sojo, 35. The incident is alleged to have occurred at Quartzstone Backdam, located along the Cuyuni River in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).
Garvajal was arrested on October 18, 2025, by a Detective Sergeant from the Bartica Police Station, following investigations into Sojo’s death. After the completion of the probe, the suspect was formally charged on October 22, 2025.
He appeared before His Worship Teriq Mohammed at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court around 15:35 hours on Wednesday, where the charge of murder was read to him. Garvajal was not required to plead to the indictable offence.
The accused was remanded to prison and is expected to return to court on December 5, 2025, as the investigation and judicial proceedings continue.