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Suriname’s Attorney General investigating President, Ministers for corruption
Suriname’s President Chandrikapersad Santokhi
Jamaican Observer – The Office of the Attorney General in Suriname has requested a preliminary investigation into a potential corruption case against President Chandrikapersad Santokhi and two of his ministers, including the Finance Minister, Stanley Raghoebarsing.
This follows reports that the government allegedly paid an estimated US$7.5 million to Pan-American Real Estate, a local company, using false documents.
“It is important to emphasise that no one has yet been identified as a suspect,” the Public Prosecution Service said on Wednesday.
The issue first came to light last November when an anonymous whistleblower, armed with various documents, filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General’s Office.
In January, the whistleblower delivered even more potentially incriminating evidence to the Office of the Attorney General and the police Anti-Corruption Unit was subsequently given the task of investigating the matter.
During the investigation, several individuals were questioned by the police, including Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk and the two ministers.
The Public Prosecution Service said it has received a police file on the case and on that basis, a preliminary judicial investigation has been requested from the examining magistrate.
“After analysing the police investigation results and partly in view of the nature of the case, a preliminary judicial investigation has been requested,” the Public Prosecution Service added.
President Santokhi and the two cabinet ministers have told reporters that they are not guilty of any criminal offence and that everything took place in accordance with the current legal accounting rules.
According to the whistleblower, Public Works Minister Riad Nurmohamed submitted falsely prepared documents at the meeting of the Council of Ministers to facilitate the payment to Pan-American Real Estate.
The payment was allegedly blocked twice by Vice President Brunswijk, who presides over the meetings. However, the whistleblower is claiming that the minister ultimately bypassed the ministerial meeting and submitted the suspected falsely prepared documents to the meeting of the government council and a meeting of the cabinet chaired by the president.
During that meeting, President Santokhi is said to have approved the payment of the amount of approximately US$7.5 million.
Initially, the Finance Minister had allegedly refused to make the payment because he believed that the work carried out by Pan-American Real Estate did not qualify as a public-private partnership project as had been suggested.
Political observers say whether this case will result in the prosecution of the president and his two ministers remains to be seen.
Members of government and former political office holders can only be prosecuted by law if they are charged by Parliament at the request of the Attorney General, where President Santoki’s coalition enjoys a majority.
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