Lottery boss released

WILLEMSTAD--Lottery boss Robbie dos Santos has been freed from custody in Curaçao, but remains a suspect in the "Bientu" (wind) investigation.

The owner of Robbie's Lottery has to report for questioning on set days, must remain available to Justice authorities at all times and has to inform the Prosecutor's Office if he intends to travel abroad.

The attachment on the American bank accounts of three suspected legal entities in the case remains, Prosecutor Guillano Schoop confirmed. It regards almost US $30 million.

The court itself had lifted the attachment on the three accounts under the suspect's name. With authorisation of an examining judge, the prosecution first had targeted three bank accounts under Dos Santos' name in July last year, followed by the accounts of the legal entities involved later on.

Schoop didn't mention the names of these legal entities, but it had been stated earlier that besides Dos Santos and a co-suspect, several legal entities also were suspected of money laundering, tax evasion and forgery. It regards, among other entities, Caribbean Investment Group Ltd. and Jamaroma Lotteries N.V. The former is known to be an offshore company domiciled on Anguilla.

Attorneys Wouter Tielkemeijer and Eldon "Peppie" Sulvaran had filed a complaint against the attachment of the personal accounts. Although the handling of this appeal had taken some time, the ruling turned out in favour of their client, although the attachment on accounts of the legal entities remained.

Dos Santos received a summons last week Monday to report for interrogation on Tuesday. At the request of his attorneys, this was postponed to Wednesday morning. After six hours of questioning the lottery boss was taken into custody for 48 hours at the most.

Had the prosecution wanted to keep him longer, a request for further detention for eight days would have been submitted for the examining judge to decide on Saturday, but this was not the case.

Dos Santos had already been heard in October last year and released afterwards.

Raids at the head offices of Robbie's Lottery in Curaçao and St. Maarten, and at the residence of the lottery boss at Brakkeput Abou were conducted in July last year. Dos Santos had left on holiday the day before and did not return for three months.

He returned to Curaçao from the Dominican Republic in October and was heard almost immediately afterward.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/26915-lottery-boss-released.html

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