Guyana Anti Corruption Network

PHOTOGRAPH CONTRADICTS SOUTH RUPUNUNI DISTRICT COUNCIL: FORMER AISHALTON TOSHAO ACCEPTING GOLD AND CASH BRIBE AT MARUDI MINING CAMP

**Georgetown, Guyana** – The Guyana Anti-Corruption Network (GACN) is today releasing a photograph that provides visual proof of the corruption engulfing the Deep South Rupununi—and directly contradicts the recent public statement of the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC). The image, obtained by GACN investigators and authenticated by multiple sources, depicts a **former Toshao of Aishalton** in the act of accepting what community members describe as a bribe—a combination of raw gold and cash—at a mining camp in the Marudi Mountains. The photograph places a former village leader at the heart of the very operation that the SRDC claims it is actively investigating.

On March 7, 2026, the SRDC issued a statement denying allegations that Toshaos have been “forced, manipulated, or paid” in connection with Marudi mining activities. The Council asserted that it is gathering “credible information and verifiable evidence” and stated that it “categorically rejects these allegations,” insisting that Toshaos “remain independent decision-makers.” This photograph, obtained by GACN, is the verifiable evidence the SRDC claims to be seeking. It shows a former Toshao—a leader who once held the sacred responsibility of protecting his people’s land under the Amerindian Act—accepting payment from individuals with links to convicted criminals from Brasil and government officials in Guyana.

The photograph raises unavoidable questions that the SRDC must now answer. If the Council has “no relationship or formal association” with Rodrigo Cataratas, as it stated, why was a former member of that Council—a former Toshao of one of its 21 member villages—apparently accepting payment from his associates? If the SRDC is gathering evidence, did it know of this photograph? Had it received reports of this specific incident? And if the Council truly rejects allegations of bribery, what explanation does it offer for this image? The photograph suggests either that the SRDC’s denial was issued without full knowledge of what its own former leaders were doing, or that the Council is aware of such activities and has chosen not to address them publicly.

The SRDC’s statement claimed that “complaints made without proper documentation often remain mere accusations.” GACN agrees. This photograph is proper documentation. It is not an unverified social media post or a satellite screenshot—it is direct visual evidence of a bribe transaction involving a former leader of an SRDC member village. The Council’s scheduled March 16 stakeholder meeting is welcome, but it cannot be allowed to function as a substitute for accountability. GACN calls on the SRDC to immediately identify the former Toshao in this photograph, explain what action it has taken or will take regarding his conduct, and cooperate fully with any law enforcement investigation into bribery, corruption, and the exploitation of Indigenous lands. The people of Aishalton and the Deep South deserve leaders whose public statements match the reality of their actions.

This photograph also serves as an urgent alert to the international community. While the SRDC deliberates and schedules meetings, the Murudi Mountains are being destroyed, waterways poisoned with mercury, and Indigenous peoples terrorized—with the reported complicity of state actors. GACN calls on the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and international environmental and human rights organizations to scrutinize not only the actions of foreign miners and the Guyanese government, but also the conduct of local leadership bodies. When district councils deny corruption while photographs prove it exists, the entire system of Indigenous representation is compromised. The international community must demand independent investigation, the suspension of all operations linked to the Cataratas network, and the protection of the Indigenous peoples whose leaders are failing them.

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