WILLEMSTAD/ PHILIPSBURG:--- The Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) Curacao has decided to summon the president of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) for tax fraud.
The investigation against Mr. Emsley Tromp, called Saffier, was launched in early 2016 following ongoing media reports on potential financial malpractice committed by the suspect. In this research, a number of searches were conducted, including at the Central Bank and at his home. Witnesses have also been questioned and documents were received from abroad. Of course, the suspect himself has also been questioned.
The investigation led, among other things, to the suspicion that Mr. Tromp did not deliberately pay all of the income he received related to his retirement pension, this during the period 2006 to 2014. The disadvantage for the country of Curaçao is estimated at about 5.5 million Antillean guilders.
The investigation into this suspicion has now been completed and the Public Prosecutor's Office has now taken a decision. The Public Prosecution Service is expected to issue the summons for these facts shortly, as well as the date of the court date. The suspect is informed about the prosecution's decision of the Public Prosecutor.
The investigation into the remaining suspicions continues. A prosecution decision will be taken later.
Prosecutor's Office Press Release
Today, Friday, May 5th, the Public Prosecutors office announced that it will prosecute Mr. Tromp, President of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, for tax fraud. Although Tromp believes that the legal discussion should be held at the hearing and not to be conducted in the media, he has decided to respond briefly to the press release issued by the prosecutor’s office in Curacao.
In the first place, Tromp denies the allegation of having committed tax fraud. Contrary to what the Public Prosecutor's Office is stating, it is certainly not true that he has not provided information on purpose to the tax authorities on his income related to his pension buildup. After all, tax on the pension money received by the pension fund of Mr. Tromp needs to be paid only after retirement. Therefore there can’t be any disadvantage for the country of Curacao and tax collection is guaranteed from the moment of the retirement of Mr. Tromp.
Mr. Tromp is of the opinion that the Public Prosecutor’s office has operated improperly, negligently and prejudiced in this criminal in the past months. Striking is the fact that last Wednesday, two extensively motivated opinions from fiscal experts were handed to the prosecutor, from which it can be concluded that Mr. Tromp had acted properly with regard to his tax. The Public Prosecutor’s office has disregarded this opinions without motivating its decision.
Why the Public Prosecutor's Office believes that the purely fiscal issue of Mr. Tromp's pension builds up must be prosecuted, certainly now that it has become clear that the view of the Public Prosecutor's Office is not shared by several tax experts is obscure. It is also not understandable why the Public Prosecutor's Office suddenly is in such a hurry to announce a decision to prosecute, while the investigation has not yet been completed,
The actions of the Public Prosecutor's Office can only be explained if one would be assumed that this prosecution decision is motivated by forces other than truthfulness and maintaining the rule of law. That thought gives cause for concern.
Mr. Tromp will defend himself in court and looks forward to the outcome of the court proceeding with confidence.
