WILLEMSTAD – A proposal to appoint a candidate from Sint Maarten as chairman of the supervisory board of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) did not proceed because it did not meet the legal requirements set out in the bank’s statutes, according to the government of Curaçao.
The clarification comes amid renewed tensions between the two countries regarding the appointment of the chairman of the bank’s supervisory board.
According to the Curaçao government, the nomination was put forward last year by the Sint Maarten government under Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs. The candidate proposed by Sint Maarten was attorney Jairo Bloem.
However, officials in Willemstad say the nomination could not proceed because it did not follow the procedure required under the CBCS statutes.
Under those rules, candidates for the supervisory board must first be recommended by the board itself before the finance ministers of both countries can formally consider the appointment.
The government of Curaçao emphasized that the statutory procedure is designed to ensure independence and professional oversight at the central bank.
So far, the government of Sint Maarten has not publicly responded to the explanation provided by Curaçao.