WILLEMSTAD:-- The home of the President of the Central Bank Emsley Tromp is being searched by the anti-corruption team and Kingdom Detectives (RST) in Curacao. The operation began early Wednesday morning.
SMN News learned that a trust company is also being searched on Wednesday. According to a report in the Telegraaf, the investigation that is currently taking place has to do with tax fraud and money laundering. However, SMN News could not confirm this with local authorities on St. Maarten and Curacao. SMN News further learned that the trust company that was searched on Wednesday is Itrust owned by Gregory Ellias, the man that is behind the Curacao Music Festival. However, it must be clear that the search at the Trust Fund has to do with finding the monies Tromp has at the ITRUST and it does not necessarily means that the owner of ITRUST is involved in the ongoing investigation.
According to well-placed sources, the same team arrested the former director or GIRO Bank Eric Garcia for money laundering, it is also understood that Garcia is still behind bars and he even lost his job at HIRO bank in Curacao when Tromp realized that the operations of the bank were not in accordance with the law.
The spokesman for the Prosecutors Office Gino Bernadina said August 10 2016 the anti-corruption unit (TBO) and the Kingdom Detectives Cooperation Team (RST), led by the Prosecutor's office, conducted seven (7) searches at two (2) addresses, a trust company and a house on Blauwdruifweg. These searches took place in the presence of a judge of instruction and are in connection with a financial investigation into fraud that started earlier this year. E.T. Is being suspected of committing fraud related to his personal finances. Documents and data carriers were confiscated during the searches. No arrests have been made. The investigation is in full swing.