President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Clinton Urling does not believe the wording of the Permission for Geological and Geophysical Survey (PGGS) granted to Muri Brasil Ventures Inc. is as damning as critics have made out nor does he believe that Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud intended to subvert the process.
According to the PGGS, dated November 7, 2012, Muri Brasil Ventures Inc. has the “right to apply” to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and shall be granted a maximum of 18 licences once it satisfies attendant requirements. It also said that the GGMC shall treat such applications on a priority basis.
“Whether the language in the contract constituted a guarantee or not, I don’t think there was any intent by the Minister [of Natural Resources and the Environment] to subvert a process and engage in some underhand arrangement with the company,” Urling said in an email to Stabroek News yesterday. “It must be noted
