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Suriname: 8-year jail term for former Central Bank Governor

LoopNews

February 1, 2022 11:48 AM ET

4 mins read

A judge has sentenced the former governor of the Central Bank of Suriname (CBvS), Robert van Trikt, to eight years in jail following his conviction on several charges including money laundering.

But Judge Maytrie Kuldip Singh said that the sentence would begin from the time the former central bank governor had been in police custody, dating back to February 2020, meaning that he will spend six years in prison on the charges of violating the Anti-Corruption Act, forgery, embezzlement, money laundering and participation in a criminal enterprise.

The prosecution had sought a 10-year sentence.

The judge found that the former CBvS governor together with and in association with the then Minister of Finance, Gillmore Hoefdraad, the former director of Legal Affairs of the Central Bank, Faranaaz Hausil and the former director of the Surinamese Postspaarbank, Ginmardo Kromosoto, committed acts to the detriment of the Central Bank.

In addition to the prison sentence, the former Central Bank official was also slapped with a fine of SRD$ 500,000 (One ASRD=US$0.04 cents) or an alternative of 16 months behind bars.

The judge said that there was large-scale corruption in this case, but at sentencing she took into account that Van Trikt is a first offender.

In her 80-page ruling, She said the Anti-Corruption Act applies to Van Trikt because he is a public official and that there was no sound legal advice obtained regarding the agreements he had signed as well as the supervisory board of the bank not being made of the deals.

Van Trikt, an accountant by profession, had recruited his business partner in his private accountancy firm Orion, Ashween Angnoe, as his advisor.

The judge said that Euros 625,000 (One Euro=US$1.29 cents) had been transferred for one of the projects and that part of those funds went to Orion to repay loans from this private company.

Loans from Van Trikt’s wife have also been repaid with part of these funds. Orion’s office building has also been confiscated and forfeited and the Euros 625,000 have to be repaid to the Central Bank of Suriname,.

A Range Rover which was also purchased with the embezzled money has also been confiscated.

Van Trikt had argued that he is innocent. Other defendants in this case were sentenced to three and five year prison terms.

On Monday, the judge sentenced the former head of the legal department of the Central Bank of Suriname, (CBvS), Faranaaz Hausil, to three years in jail on corruption related charges.

Judge Singh also imposed a fine of SRD$100, 000 (One SRD=US$0.04 cents) or a further 10 months in prison, while not imposing the four year jail term as had been requested by the prosecution.

In December last year, Hoefdraad, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption charges, and also fined SRD500, 000.

The government had charged Hoefdraad as part of a criminal conspiracy to defraud the central bank while he was serving as finance minister. According to the Interpol notice seeking his arrest, Hoefdraad faced charges of “participation in a criminal organisation,” breaking the anti-corruption act, embezzlement and “aggravated embezzlement”.

Hoefdraad, who was sentenced in absentia,  served as CBvS governor between 2010 and 2015  before becoming minister of finance for president Desi Bouterse, who held office between 2010 and 2020.