WILLEMSTAD - The Court of First Instance on Friday, August 16, 2019, sentenced former Minister of Finance George Jamaloodinm (G.J.) to 28 years in prison. G.J. has been convicted in the Maximus case for provoking the murder of politician Helmin Wiels and in the Germanium case for obscuring subsidies and making use of false writings in the capacity of Minister of Finance. The Court of First Instance acquitted him in the Passaat case. The prosecution had demanded 30 years in prison against the suspect.
MAXIMUS
In the Maximus case, the accused is convicted of provoking the murder of politician Helmin Wiels. The Court of First Instance held that it can be proven that G.J. has commissioned this murder, that he has promised money to the person who organized the murder and that he has paid for the murder. At the hands of G.J. Helmin Wiels has been deprived of the right to life.
With regard to the imposition of sentences, the Court of First Instance considered that this political murder sends a signal that power and violence go beyond democracy and justice. That signal creates fear and distrust in society, limits citizens and politicians to the extent that they don’t feel free to give their opinion and thus paves the way for a society in which only the law of the strongest applies. G.J. must be held responsible for this. This means that it is not enough to justify a punishment as is usually imposed in Curaçao for a single murder committed by someone with a blank criminal record, such as the suspect.
GERMANIUM
G.J. made a confessional statement at the hearing regarding the suspicions in the Germanium investigation. G.J. has obscured an amount of Naf 450,000 as a civil servant (Minister of Finance). He has used subsidy funds that were allocated to a foundation for refurbishing a sports field in the Steenrijk district for private purposes. In addition, he has asked others to prepare false invoices and to send them to the Government Accountants Bureau. G.J. was Minister of Finance of the country of Curaçao at the time of the commission of these facts. The Minister of Finance is pre-eminently a person from whom financial integrity can be expected. His actions have seriously damaged the confidence that citizens should have in politicians. The Court of First Instance blames this on the accused.
