WILLEMSTAD - Emsley Tromp, the former president-director of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, and Rene Laurents, the former deputy director, have been found guilty of document forgery. They have been acquitted of all other charges, including official bribery and money laundering.
The case revolves around suspicions related to the clothing company Curaçao Fashion Group (CFG). Laurents founded this company in 2009 at Tromp’s request for Tromp’s then-partner, Y. M. de C.
Loan Agreement
The case file includes a loan agreement dated May 20, 2009, stating that Tromp borrowed over four hundred thousand dollars from CFG. This amount was directly deposited into Tromp's pension account, but there was no evidence that it was ever spent on CFG's preparatory work.
The Court concluded that the loan agreement was false, but the transaction could not legally be classified as money laundering, leading to an acquittal on this charge.
Corruption and Money Laundering Allegations
Further suspicions of corruption and money laundering were based on a transaction of nearly one and a half million dollars in September 2015 from the Venezuelan company Enpiso to CFG. The Public Prosecution Service considered this payment a bribe to Tromp, related to negotiations between the Central Bank and Banco Activo regarding a potential takeover of Girobank.
However, the Court found insufficient legal and convincing evidence to label this transaction as a bribe. There was no concrete involvement of Tromp in the transaction. Consequently, the money laundering suspicion was also dismissed. Laurents was found guilty of document forgery for backdating the loan agreement.
Sentencing
Both defendants held high positions at the Central Bank and were expected to uphold impeccable integrity. Their actions severely undermined public trust in the government.
The extensive media coverage and the criminal investigation have taken a heavy toll, especially on Tromp, whose name was long overshadowed by a cloud of corruption.
The Court sentenced Tromp to a suspended six-month prison term with a two-year probation period. Laurents received a suspended eight-month prison term, also with a two-year probation period, with credit for time served in pre-trial detention.
Given their acquittal of the most severe charges, the Court decided not to impose additional penalties such as barring them from holding positions in financial institutions.
Both Emsley Tromp and Rene Laurents, as well as the Public Prosecution Service, have fourteen days to file an appeal.
