SURINAME-Court rules charges filed against former finance minister were lawful.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC – The Court of Justice Friday ruled that the state was within its right when it filed charges against former finance minister, Gillmore Hoefdraad.

The former finance minister had filed civil proceedings against the State of Suriname, challenging the legality of his indictment by the National Assembly (DNA).

He had asked the civil Court to rule that his prosecution in the alleged corruption case was unlawful. But in its ruling, the five-member Court said that the National Assembly acted lawfully when it decided to indict Hoefdraad, as a former political official.

This procedure is required to enable the Public Prosecution Service to initiate criminal prosecution.

Hoefdraad, who has been a fugitive since his resignation in July 2020, argued through his lawyers that the Assembly lacked the authority to make a new decision on his prosecution during the 2020–2025 term.

His attorney, Murwin Dubois, had argued that the previous parliament (2015–2020) had already validly decided not to prosecute Hoefdraad and that a review of that decision would only be possible if new or amended information emerged, which, according to the defense, was lacking.

Dubois also referred to Interpol’s decision to remove Hoefdraad from the international wanted list, claiming that the prosecution was politically motivated and banned the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) from using its communication system in this case.

The criminal case against Hoefdraad is part of a large-scale corruption investigation in which Ginmardo Kromosoeto, the former director of the Surinamese Postal Savings Bank, Robert van Trikt, the former governor of the Central Bank of Suriname, Faranaaz Alibaks-Hausil, the former legal director of the CBvS, and Ashween Angnoe, the business partner of Van Trikt, are involved. They were also prosecuted and convicted.

All the convicts appealed their sentences. Hoefdraad also initiated civil proceedings against the State of Suriname, targeting the National Assembly and the Ministry of the Interior.