WILLEMSTAD - The Pisas cabinet has only just come into office when it seems to want to take control of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Finance Minister Javier Silvania (MFK) has informed the incumbent members of the Supervisory Board that they will not have to count on a reappointment when their term ends in August.

“On this occasion, the Minister thanked the outgoing members for the services they had rendered over the past four years. Steps have now been taken to fill the vacancies that will arise in the Supervisory Board of the CBCS in August,” according to a press release from the ministry.

The statement raises more questions than it answers. For example, a decision by the Council of Ministers is being discussed, but it is unclear whether the government of Sint Maarten has been consulted. Members of the Supervisory Board are jointly appointed by the two countries. It is also not clear whether the decision also applies to the members who are part of the Supervisory Board on behalf of Sint Maarten.

The announcement on the filling of the vacancies also raises questions. The Statute of the Central Bank states that governments can only appoint candidates who have been nominated by the incumbent Supervisory Board.

An earlier MFK cabinet (Schotte) also tried to increase its grip on the Central Bank in 2010/2011 by replacing then president-director Tromp with a vassal of the mafia-linked casino boss Corallo. That led to a conflict with Sint Maarten with which the Central Bank is shared. Former Prime Minister Schotte disappeared behind bars due to official corruption.