WILLEMSTAD, PHILIPSBURG - In light of the press release issued by Parman International B.V. (Parman) on September 16, 2021, the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) deems it relevant to provide the following clarification.
In connection with the proposed sale of the shares in Banco di Caribe (BdC), the CBCS organized a shareholders’ meeting on May 25, 2021. As a shareholder in Ennia Caribe Holding S.A., Parman was provided with a written explanation of the agenda together with the invitation to that meeting. Parman did not attend that meeting and, consequently, no resolutions could be adopted. In such cases, the CBCS, as the competent authority under the emergency regulation, is authorized by law to make the necessary decisions on its own and has made use of this provision for the purpose of selling BdC’s shares.
In summary proceedings held in May of this year, Parman had already claimed that the CBCS should be barred from selling the Ennia Group’s assets (such as BdC). In its decision in these summary proceedings, dated May 28, 2021 (CUR202101147), the court rejected that claim (as well as Parman’s other claims), holding that the CBCS’s authorization under the emergency regulation also extends to the sale of assets.
The comments made in Parman’s press release about the Ennia Group being in excellent financial condition when the emergency regulation was first issued are far removed from reality. This is evident from the mere fact that the emergency regulation was issued by the Court. Moreover, an in-depth investigation, conducted by the CBCS once the emergency regulation had been issued, revealed the deficits to be larger than originally believed. These deficits had been the result of large-scale, unlawful withdrawals of funds that should have been invested profitably for the benefit of the policyholders.
To obtain compensation for these unlawful withdrawals, on October 11, 2019, the CBCS initiated legal proceedings on behalf of Ennia against several individuals, including Mr. Ansary, as those responsible for the deficits. In these proceedings, the case is set for plea on October 14 and 15, 2021.
Several attempts were made in recent years to find a solution to Ennia’s substantial deficits in consultation with Mr. Ansary. To date, however, Mr. Ansary has failed to acknowledge both the problem and its magnitude, as Parman’s press release of September 16, 2021, further illustrates. In all this time, Mr. Ansary has failed to show any regard for the interests of the policyholders and thus for the interests of Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
The CBCS carries the sole responsibility for the implementation of the emergency regulation at Ennia. From the very outset, it has followed a most meticulous and professional approach, seeking the assistance of various external experts, and the same applies to the steps that have led to BdC’s sale.
