Chief Justice grants SOCU detention order for over $161M in gold & cash

Acting Chief Justice Navindra Singh on Monday granted a Detention Order in favor of the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) to seize 4,018.15 pennyweights of gold valued at $80,911,765 and and $81,101,200 in cash belonging to Sebastiao De Oliveira Moura and GAGO Gold Inc.

On February 7, 2024, following a joint operation conducted by SOCU, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Guyana Gold Board (GGB), and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), SOCU obtained several Detention Orders from the High Court to detain the said properties until May 6, 2025.

However, before the Orders elapsed, then Chief Justice Roxane George ordered the release of the properties on April 3, 2025. On April 4, 2025, SOCU instituted five counts of criminal charges for money laundering against Sebastiao De Oliveira Moura.

SOCU stated that following an Order of Chief Justice Roxane George, SOCU returned the properties to the Respondents on November 26, 2025, and re-seized them.

Following the re-seizure of the assets, SOCU applied to the Court for a Detention Order to detain the gold and cash on the basis that they are tainted goods and proceeds of crime; are derived from money laundering; that there is a real risk of the assets dissipating if not preserved; and that the assets are inextricably linked to and required as evidence in the ongoing criminal proceedings in the Magistrate’s Court.

Despite a heated court battle led by defense attorneys Latchmie Rahamat and Naresh Poonai, the Chief Justice in his decision granted the detention order.

Justice Singh ruled that “the fact is, the property was physically returned as ordered by the Court. In addition, in ordering the release of the property, Chief Justice George [as she then was] did not make a finding or adjudicate on whether or not the property was tainted property. There being no such adjudication with respect to the property, the applicant is entitled to seize the property under section 37A of the AMLFCTA.”

He further determined that the respondents have not raised any viable defense to SOCU’s detention application, and that “the applicant has set out cogent evidence demonstrating that it has reasonable grounds to seize the property and is justified in seeking detention orders for same.”
The Court awarded costs to SOCU in the sum of $500,000.00 to be paid on or before April 23, 2026. SOCU was represented by Attorney-at-Law David Brathwaite.