WILLEMSTAD – The Cabinet-Pisas III has reiterated that the establishment of an Integrity Bureau remains a top priority in its newly adopted governing program, despite the fact that similar commitments have been made by successive governments since 2017 without concrete results.
According to the government program, the long-delayed Bureau Integriteit is intended to become an independent body tasked with combating corruption and fraud within the public sector. However, the realization of the bureau continues to face significant obstacles, and its structural introduction appears set to be delayed once again.
The process has stalled for years due to a lack of financial resources, limited administrative capacity, and the need to align legislation with international anti-corruption standards. Although a draft bill has been ready since 2021, the government now expects that a final legislative proposal can only be submitted to the Curaçao Parliament in the period 2026–2027.
The repeated postponement highlights a persistent gap between policy intentions and implementation. While the Integrity Bureau is widely seen as a key instrument to strengthen governance, transparency and public trust, the timeline outlined in the new governing program suggests that its establishment remains a medium-term goal rather than an immediate reform.
As a result, Curaçao will continue for the time being without the independent integrity watchdog that has been promised for nearly a decade, raising renewed questions about the pace of institutional reforms aimed at improving oversight and accountability within government.