WILLEMSTAD - In the Avior case, an investigation was conducted into money laundering and underground banking by the Chinese business owner W.S.C. and several co-suspects. In August 2017, the houses of W.S.C. and his co-defendants, as well as several business premises associated with them, were searched.

The results of the criminal investigation confirmed the suspicion that in the period from 1 August 2011 up to and including 15 August 2017 there were deliberate money laundering and exercising the business of (international) companies without a license from the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten credit institution and money transaction office. This has led the Public Prosecution Service (OM) to offer W.S.C. a transaction deal to prevent further prosecution.

On March 9, 2020, the OM and W.S.C. concluded the transaction agreement. As part of the transaction, W.S.C. pays a sum of NAF 250,000 and waives a number of immovable property (including various commercial sites and buildings), balances on bank accounts, as well as (during the house search) seized amounts of money.

The Public Prosecution Service considers the transaction to be a suitable settlement, partly in view of the date of the commission of the offenses (2011-2017), the passage of time after completion of the criminal investigation (2016-2019) and the personal circumstances of the accused.