For the purposes of this Policy:

“Applicant” means any individual or entity submitting an application through GO-FOR-GOLD, whether directly or via an Official Partner.

“Official Partner" ("Partner”) means any officially authorised intermediary submitting an application on behalf of an Applicant.

“Application” means the full submission process, including pre-application KYC, documentation submission, and final processing.

“Escrow” means funds paid by the Applicant into the designated escrow account for the purposes of processing, due diligence, and application execution.

“Due Diligence” means all verification, compliance, KYC/AML checks, administrative processing, and submission-related activities conducted by GO-FOR-GOLD or its appointed service providers.

2.1 An Applicant or Partner may withdraw an Application at any time prior to the payment of funds into escrow.

2.2 Withdrawal must be formally communicated in writing via email to the designated GO-FOR-GOLD administrative contact.

2.3 Upon receipt of a valid withdrawal notice:

The Application shall be deemed closed; All Application data shall be permanently deleted from the GO-FOR-GOLD Application Hub; No fees, charges, or penalties shall apply.

3.1 Upon receipt of funds into escrow, the Application shall be deemed:

Active, and irrevocably committed to processing under the GO-FOR-GOLD programme.

3.2 From this point forward:

The Application may be withdrawn, suspended, or cancelled by the Applicant or Partner; in such a case, all Escrow funds shall be considered allocated to processing and due diligence activities and completely released to the escrow parties on the basis that all conditions precedent have been satisfied in fact.

4. Refund Eligibility – Strict Limitations

4.1 Refund of escrow funds shall ONLY be considered under the following conditions:

(a) The Government of Sierra Leone formally refuses the Application; or (b) The Applicant fails to meet required Due Diligence standards.

4.2 No refunds shall be payable under any other circumstances, including but not limited to:

i) Voluntary withdrawal after escrow payment;

ii) Change of mind by Applicant or Partner;

iii) Failure to provide required documentation after submission;

iv) Delays outside of GO-FOR-GOLD’s control.

5.1 Where a refund is approved under Clause 4, the refund amount shall be calculated as:

Total escrow funds received LESS due diligence costs incurred LESS administrative, KYC, and processing fees.

The Applicant acknowledges and agrees that:

Due diligence and processing fees are non-refundable under any circumstances once services have commenced; the exact refund quantum may vary depending on Application complexity and will be disclosed as applicable.

6. Pre-Application KYC Safeguard Process

6.1 GO-FOR-GOLD operates a mandatory pre-application KYC screening process.

6.2 This step is designed to ensure:

Initial eligibility verification prior to full Application submission; Reduction of downstream compliance risk; Eligibility to proceed to escrow payment stage.

6.3 Only Applicants who successfully pass pre-application KYC will be permitted to proceed to full Application submission and escrow funding.

7.1 GO-FOR-GOLD does not retain sensitive personal data beyond operational necessity.

7.2 In the event of Application withdrawal prior to escrow funding:

All associated Application data will be permanently deleted from the Application Hub.

7.3 In the event of Application closure post-processing:

Data retention will comply with applicable legal, regulatory, and compliance obligations only.

By proceeding with an Application, the Applicant and/or Partner expressly acknowledges and agrees that:

i) They have read and understood this Refund Policy in full;

ii) They accept the non-refundable nature of escrow funds once paid;

iii) They accept that refunds are strictly limited to the conditions outlined herein;

iv) They understand that GO-FOR-GOLD operates a structured, compliance-driven application process requiring commitment at the escrow stage.