WILLEMSTAD--Cura�ao Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte (MFK) called an urgent press conference after his heated meeting with Central Bank director Emsley Tromp to say the latter had tried to blackmail him with accusations against cabinet members to avoid giving clarity on his own dubious role in a NAf. 3-million loan.
The young prime minister said that, based on recent reports that he had arranged a
NAf. 3-million loan for two companies without any collateral from a commercial bank, the Council of Ministers had required further explanation, after Finance Minister George "Jorge" Jamaloodin had reported on his talk with the Central Bank director on the same topic earlier that day.
Schotte said that instead Tromp had launched serious allegations without presenting proof against him and other ministers, even claiming that Jamaloodin had threatened to plant drugs in the car and/or office. He called it an unsuccessful attempt at blackmail and nothing but a smokescreen.
Jamaloodin had put a distance between himself and his company Speedy Security when he had become minister and a committee had chosen government's "house bank" based on purely objective and well-established criteria, in a completely transparent manner.
It was Tromp who had received NAf. 3 million in his personal bank account from a loan that lacked any collateral. "So the question is: What did the Central Bank give or owe that bank instead?"
The prime minister added that the ties of a direct subordinate of Tromp at the Central Bank to the two companies that had benefitted from the loan made it all even more dubious. He said it was actually the audit team of the Central Bank that had noted the irregularity, "but word apparently came from above not to touch the matter, because it involved the boss."
There were more issues, he said, such as an insurance company operating without the required coverage from abroad. An attempt had been made to obtain such from another island nearby, but it had failed, he added.
"These matters affect the integrity of the institution and government had a right to demand clarity."
Asked what will happen now, Schotte said he would have talks about the matter with experts during his trip to the Netherlands, which starts today, Thursday, but that things could not stay this way.
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