WILLEMSTAD – The Fair Trade Authority Curaçao (FTAC) has collected more than XCG 640,000 in fines from several supermarkets and two individuals for failing to cooperate with an official investigation. Although all fines have now been paid, some legal proceedings remain ongoing.
The supermarkets involved are Mangusa Supermarket, Arco Iris Supermarket, Zhao's Arti's Supermarket, New California Supermarket, and Sure Minimarket. The cases relate to violations of the legal obligation to provide information and cooperate with FTAC's supervisory investigations.
In 2024, the competition watchdog initially imposed fines ranging from XCG 270,000 to XCG 450,000 on the five supermarkets. In addition, Joel da Silva da Goes and Enrique Ribeiro were each personally fined XCG 25,000.
Following objections filed by the companies, FTAC substantially reduced the fines imposed on four of the supermarkets after they submitted financial information demonstrating their ability to pay and other relevant circumstances. The fine against Mangusa Supermarket remained at XCG 450,000 because the company did not provide additional financial documentation requested by the authority.
Mangusa Supermarket and Arco Iris Supermarket challenged the penalties in court. On February 2, 2026, the court ruled against both companies, finding that the fines were appropriate and legally justified. Appeals filed by Da Silva da Goes and Ribeiro were also dismissed.
An appeal remains pending in one case involving a supermarket and in another involving one of the individuals.
According to FTAC, enforcement measures were required in several cases to secure payment. Bailiffs were instructed to serve enforcement orders after some parties failed to pay voluntarily. One supermarket challenged the enforcement order in court, but the challenge was rejected after FTAC corrected a procedural error. The company subsequently paid the XCG 450,000 fine, together with statutory interest.
The authority emphasized that all money collected from the fines is transferred directly to Curaçao's public treasury and is not used to finance FTAC's own operations or budget.
Between 2021 and 2024, FTAC has collected more than XCG 1 million in fines, underscoring its continued enforcement of competition and consumer protection laws on the island.