By Curacao Journal From Caribbean News Now

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao — Justice department officials in Curacao on Monday morning raided two companies owned by former minister of justice George Jamaloodin, including a security company, Speedy Security, in Saliña.

A house elsewhere in the city was also searched, where a woman with the initials CCM was arrested. She is thought to be the minister’s former life partner.

She is suspected of forgery and embezzlement of part of a subsidy of 450,000 guilders (US$254,000) provided by the ministry of finance in 2012 to the Fundashon pa Optimalisashon di Bario Steenrijk and Divi Divi (Foundation for the Betterment of the Neighbourhoods of Steenrijk and Divi Divi).

An investigation was launched into these allegations after the current minister of finance brought this issue to the attention of the Public Prosecution in 2015.

Meanwhile, Dutch Minister of Finance Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Friday expressed great concern about the connection between the “upper-world” and the “underworld” in Curacao and St Maarten because this problem also affects The Hague.

The adverse impact on the financial sector on the two islands due to fraud, tax evasion and money laundering reflects on the Netherlands.

“I am concerned,” Dijsselbloem stated in an article in het Financieele Dagblad (FD).

Dijsselbloem responded to questions by reporters after Friday’s Council of Ministers meeting about the search at the home of Central Bank of Curacao and St Maarten (CBCS) president Emsley Tromp on Wednesday. Tromp is suspected of tax evasion and money laundering.

The minister emphasized that the Netherlands has no say in the position of the CBCS president because Curacao and St Maarten are autonomous countries within the Kingdom.

“However, questions are being asked on an international level on this matter,” he said.

Dijsselbloem said he was satisfied that the authorities on the islands are making a serious effort to tackle corruption, fraud and money laundering.

“That is good. We have had to press on the islands a lot in the past years to implement the agreed upon anti money laundering measures,” he told the FD.

The Dutch Caribbean countries are primarily responsible for their own affairs and intervention by The Hague is only possible when there is insufficient redress. Currently the role of the Dutch government has been limited to the investment of 22 million euros and 50 detectives to strengthen the justice sector on the islands.

“It is better to allow the investigation to run its course,” Dijsselbloem said about the Tromp probe.

IMAGE: Former Minister of Justice George Jamaloodin

Original source: http://curacaochronicle.com

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