WILLEMSTAD – MFK Member of Parliament Ishahier Monte is demanding that the government disclose contracts, invoices, reports and other documents connected to controversial payments involving the Curaçao Gaming Authority, as an independent investigation into the regulator’s arrangements with Malta-based Random Consulting Limited moves forward.
The controversy began after Finance Minister Charles Cooper publicly questioned an XCG 8.3 million figure in connection with Random Consulting and the implementation of Curaçao’s new online gaming regulatory system.
Subsequent reporting, however, indicated that the XCG 8.3 million was a broader CGA budget item for implementation of the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), rather than an established annual payment of that entire amount to Random Consulting.
Random Consulting has provided its own figures, saying it received €3.426 million in total from the CGA between 2022 and 2025. The company says the money covered technology and operational services associated with modernizing Curaçao’s gaming regulatory system.
Those competing accounts have increased pressure for an independent examination of the underlying records rather than relying on statements from politicians or the contractor.
Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas previously said the CGA’s Supervisory Board could select from ten international firms for an independent investigation. According to public reporting, the review is intended to establish what agreements were concluded, how much was paid, what work was performed and who had the authority to enter into the arrangements.
Monte now wants clarity about the scope of that investigation before its conclusions are delivered.
He is asking whether investigators will specifically examine the legality and effectiveness of the expenditure, the process used to select the contractor, possible conflicts of interest and the roles of officials and institutions involved in preparing, approving and executing the agreements.
The MP also wants a commitment that the complete investigation report, including its conclusions and recommendations, will be submitted to Curaçao Parliament.
Another question concerns what will happen if irregularities are identified. Monte wants the government to state whether administrative, disciplinary or legal action will follow if the independent investigators conclude that laws, procedures or governance requirements were violated.
International attention has meanwhile grown around the controversy. The Times of Malta reported in August on the dispute involving Random Consulting and Galea, who previously headed Malta’s gaming regulator. The publication noted both Cooper’s allegations and the company’s rejection of the XCG 8.3 million characterization.
Random Consulting maintains that its role was to provide technology and operational support rather than take over the CGA’s statutory supervisory responsibilities. Curaçao’s online gaming industry association COGA has similarly stressed that licensing and regulatory supervision remain responsibilities of the CGA.
Monte is also asking whether the Council of Ministers and Curaçao Parliament were informed about the relevant agreements or payments either before or after they were made.
He wants the government to provide Parliament with the underlying agreements, invoices, reports and other documentation so lawmakers can independently determine what was authorized, what was paid and what Curaçao received in return.
Finance Minister Cooper has been called to answer the questions during the public parliamentary session on October 1 at 2:00 p.m.
The hearing could be particularly important because one of the central claims that triggered the controversy — that XCG 8.3 million was being paid annually to Random Consulting — is now itself disputed. The independent investigation will consequently have to establish not only whether the contracts and payments were properly authorized, but also the basic financial facts underlying a controversy that has already generated significant political conflict in Curaçao.