A large demonstration in Suriname against the government of Santoji

In Suriname, between 1,000 and 2,000 people took to the streets yesterday to protest the government of President Santohi. The reason is, among other things, a financial scandal in which almost 1.8 million euros disappeared from the account of the Ministry of Finance.

The demonstrators headed to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation. The demonstrators made a list of eleven demands. For example, they want Santokhi to suspend Finance Minister Achaibersinghe from active duty.

They also want him to cancel the appointment of family members to important positions. For example, there is significant criticism of the appointment of Santokhi’s wife and brother of Vice President Brunswijk as a member of the supervisory board of the Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname.

Santoji planned a three-day trip to Paraguay in the wake of the demonstration canceled. He will participate, among other things, in the Mercosur summit, which is a customs union of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela, to which Suriname also belongs.

The president said in a statement last night that he wants to speak to representatives of the protesters, who call themselves Team Organic. However, this does not remove the concern. The protesters announced that they would take to the streets again today.

The disappearance of 1.8 million euros is not the first financial scandal to concern Suriname. In 2020, it was announced that savings of $100 million had disappeared from the cash reserves of the Central Bank of Suriname.

Also in February, the former head of the Central Bank of Surinamese, Robert van Trik, was sentenced to eight years in prison for widespread corruption.