PHILIPSBURG:--- Recent statements made by the current Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister, and Mr. Jairo Bloem, suggesting that the previous government failed to act on the appointment of a Chairperson for the Supervisory Board of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS), are misleading and not supported by the facts.
The documented record shows clearly that under the previous government, the Supervisory Board of the CBCS submitted a formal recommendation for Mr. Dennis Leroy Richardson to be appointed Chairperson of the Supervisory Board. That recommendation was accepted and supported by the then Minister of Finance of Sint Maarten, Ardwell M.R. Irion, and confirmed by the Council of Ministers of Sint Maarten.
On March 4, 2022, Minister Irion wrote formally to Curaçao’s Minister of Finance, Drs. Javier Silvania, confirming Sint Maarten’s agreement with the recommendation of the Supervisory Board for Mr. Richardson’s appointment. This was in strict accordance with Article 25 of the Central Bank Charter, which requires that nominations be based on recommendations from the Supervisory Board, not by personal selection of Ministers.
Subsequently, on March 29, 2022, the Council of Ministers of Sint Maarten officially approved the nomination of Mr. Richardson and instructed that the necessary screening process move forward. At that time, the delay was not due to inaction but because the legislation governing the screening of confidential positions still had to be amended in Curaçao before the process could be finalized. The government of Sint Maarten, therefore, respected the law and did not bypass the procedures required by the Charter and screening legislation.
The key point is that the Ministers did not themselves select a candidate. They respected the procedure outlined in the Charter: the Supervisory Board recommends, the Ministers of Finance of both countries jointly nominate, and the appointment is finalized by Kingdom decree.
To now suggest otherwise misinforms the public and creates unnecessary confusion around an already sensitive process. The law and the Charter are clear, and the record shows that the previous government abided by them.
It is regrettable that the Minister of Finance, the Prime Minister, and even Mr. Bloem have chosen to misrepresent this history. Sint Maarten deserves accurate information, not narratives designed to justify questionable interpretations of the law. The facts show that the proper process was followed, a nomination was indeed made, and the integrity of the Central Bank’s appointment process was upheld.
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