WILLEMSTAD – The MAN-PIN faction in the Curaçao Parliament is demanding an accounting of an XCG 1.5 million government subsidy allocated to Parke Tropikal, with MP Giselle Mc William asking how much of the money was actually spent, what it was used for and whether government auditor SOAB reported on the expenditure.
The Pisas II Cabinet awarded the subsidy in 2024 for restoration of the zoo, with the intention of using the property for therapeutic activities and community purposes.
According to Mc William, the XCG 1.5 million was not transferred directly to an account belonging to Curaçao Zoo Foundation. Instead, the funds were placed with SOAB, which was also assigned responsibility for supervising implementation of the project.
Under the subsidy conditions, a final written financial report was supposed to be submitted to the Ministries of Finance and Health, Environment and Nature no later than April 30, 2024.
Mc William wants the government to disclose whether Curaçao Zoo Foundation complied with that requirement. If the report was not submitted, she wants to know what action the government subsequently took.
MAN-PIN is also asking whether SOAB prepared an audit or accountability report concerning the use of the XCG 1.5 million and, if so, what its principal findings were.
The questions extend beyond the subsidy to the future of Parke Tropikal itself.
The government previously announced that its management agreement with Curaçao Zoo Foundation would end on November 4, 2025. Mc William said uncertainty has persisted since then about what will happen to the property, the animals and the employees.
She also pointed to the property's designation under Curaçao’s Island Development Plan, where the site is classified as “Área di Parke,” or park area.
According to Mc William, this means the property should remain public and accessible and cannot simply be commercially developed or transferred to third parties without a formal change to the development plan.
MAN-PIN therefore wants the government to disclose whether it has developed a concrete plan or master plan for Parke Tropikal.
The faction is proposing that the property be transformed into a green recreational park. Among the possibilities suggested are a food forest, facilities for birds and educational activities focusing on health and nutrition.
For MAN-PIN, however, the first issue requiring clarification is what happened to the XCG 1.5 million already allocated to the property and whether the government received the required accounting for how the public money was spent.