By EDDIE OSIFELO
WIN Win Investment company has clarified the payments under the Surface Access Agreement signed with the 24 trustees of Turarana in Central Guadalcanal in 2018.
This after a landowner of Turarana, Joel Jackson questioned the outstanding log of claims in the SAA regarding the alluvial mining operation on the area.
Jackson said according to the agreement clause 1.0 Premium, an amount to be paid for a contract of insurance is SBD$26,000 and in Clause 1.1 Access fee is SBD$250,000.
He added that in Clause 1.1.4 Campsite is SBD$3,000 x 58 months, so Win Win mining did not pay SBD$174,000 to the landowners since 2017 till today.
Further to that, Jackson also added that for land rentals under clause 1.1.4, Win Win did not pay SBD$58,000 so they are operating free for 58 months on Turarana land.
“For Clearing of Land under clause 1.4.3 in the agreement we did not know who Win Win mining paid to,” he said.
Jackson questioned if Win Win paid those dues, which landowners did they paid the money too which was supposed to be the Turarana tribal people.
However, chairman of Koehoto Landowners Association (KLA), Celestine Seri said he and Jacob Manengelea have received the $250,000 access fee for Prospecting License during the signing of the SAA and gave it to their trustees.
Company’s representative, Charles Meke said the $26,000 premium fees and $58,000 rental fees will be paid after the completion of land acquisition process.
Meke said currently an officer in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey is carrying out land acquisition process in order to secure the Fixed Term Estate title because it is a national project.
He said the Perpetual Estates title is held by the 24 landowning trustees.
Meke said after the Commissioner of Lands secured the FTE, he will sub lease it to the company.
He said when this process completes, then the company will start paying the premium and land rental fees.
Further to that, Meke said the company will pay the $174,000 campsite fees after the completion of the land acquisition process.
He said the company cannot make any payments now when their bank accounts are not sorted out.
KLA represents Turarana tribes while Giluagano Landowners Association (GLA) represents the tribes of Mamasa tenement.
Meke said both Koehoto and Giluagano have determine their borders of the land in order to divide them into four blocks already.
Win Win has extracted alluvial deposits on the stream beds of both tenements to get the minerals, especially gold.
The company started operations on Mamasa in October 2019, however the company discovered the tenement had low alluvial deposits on its stream beds.
Win Win is now operating on Turarana which is believed to have high alluvial deposits.
