SECRET GOLD EXPORT

Landowners accuse WinWin mining company of lying, seeking $2m compensation

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

WINWIN Mining company is being accused of hiding its gold export from the landowners of its tenement in Central Guadalcanal.

Turarana landowners are demanding that Winwin pays $2million in compensation.

The landowners claim that Winwin had lied to them about not being able to export gold from 2019-2020, and were stockpiling the gold it mined.

However, the landowners said that they found out from Customs that the company had exported 78.47kg of gold bar from 2019-2020. This they said was done without their knowledge.

A landowner, Joel Jackson told Island Sun that Turarana landowners have held discussions with Director of Mines, Nicholas Biliki, on the issue of mining lease.

Mr Jackson said they were surprised to find out that Winwin Company had signed a mining lease with the national government on December 11, 2018.

“We are confused in this situation,” he said.

Jackson said the landowners had already informed the Registrar of Foreign Investment Division, requesting it cancelled Winwin company’s licence.

“The Registrar told us that the Company had breached some of the regulation and should take action when every formality is sorted out.

“We have been waiting for almost seven months now with no reply from the FID Registrar,” Jackson said.

He said if the government fails to take action against the company, the landowners are planning to issue a seven-day stop-notice to discontinue the alluvial mining operation.

Meanwhile, Winwin company, according to a letter by Director Biliki to the Turarana landowners, is only allowed to carryout alluvial mining but not buy gold.

General Manager of Win Win, Dan Shi could not be reached for comments yesterday. However, the paper is following up on this issue.

Winwin mining company last year made headlines when its camp was robbed by men disguised as police officers and made away with gold bars, $140,000 cash and 15 mobile phones from holed up workers.

Police have arrested the men and the case is currently before the courts.

4 Comments

  1. Give another 100 licenses to Winwin to mine our minerals ………….this is the kind of company we need to invest in SI…

  2. I went to the ministry of Mines and energy Yesterday and asked him for the mining and Gold export reports of Winwin investment company but he said they haven’t received any such reports from the company.
    I’m really confused.
    David Rex
    Secretary
    Giluagono landowners of lauvatale Association

  3. Who invite them to come do mining in the country? How did they come into the country to do mining? At last we ripping what we deserved for?

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