Prosecutor (pg) Roy Bajnath Panday said in his request Thursday that there had been close and conscious cooperation between Gillmore Hoefdraad, Robert van Trikt (former governor of the Central Bank of Suriname) and Ginmardo Kromosoeto (former director of the Surinamese Savings Bank), Varanas Alipax-Housel, Hans Boys and Robert Potter. It is believed that there has been permanent and structural cooperation, as the legal provisions of the Criminal Code and the Banking Law have been infringed.
According to the newspaper, all this was done with the aim of financing government spending on the Suriname Central Bank account. This caused the bank’s financial disadvantage. PG found that Hoofdrad, along with the other accused, had intentionally embezzled funds in his capacity as finance minister. He came to the conclusion that Van Trickt, as Governor, the co-suspect became the master and master of the funds managed by the parent bank and used them for purposes for which they were not identified.
Van Trick spent a total of 3 billion Saudi riyals in white advances. According to PG, Van Trikt darkened the amount by Hoefdraad. Bajnath Panday used the statements as evidence. He benefited from Van Trickt’s statement. The former governor had received a letter from Hoefdraad in June 2019 stating that the properties purchased would be transferred by the parent bank of the state to the Central Bank of Suriname.
Van Trickt made the money available to the Treasury Department. This money was to be used to pay off the country’s long-term debt, but that did not happen. Initially, it was assumed that Hofdrad obtained Cabinet approval to sell the buildings. However, this turned out not to be the case.
Hofdrad demanded a 12-year prison sentence and a fine of 500,000 Saudi riyals, instead of 12 months in custody. The Attorney General also requested permission from the Court of Justice to initiate a financial and criminal investigation through the case. On March 11th, attorney Irene Lalje, Morwen Dubois and Frank Troidman will present their appeal.
