Tromp entitled to a 6-figure compensation
WILLEMSTAD – Dr. Emsley Tromp can count on 344.135 US Dollars in compensation for legal expenditures. The Court of Justice has ordered that Curaçao has to pay the former President of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) this amount in damages. Tromp has twice been acquitted of tax fraud.
During his trials Tromp was represented by Niels van der Laan, partner of law firm De Roos & Pen in the Netherlands, and Mirto Murray of Murray Attorneys at Law in Curaçao. He paid his legal counselors around 244.000 and 78.000 US Dollars respectively. Several experts were called to elicit opinions, which cost Tromp a little over 20.000 US Dollars.
In November 2017 the Court in the First Instance of Curaçao confirmed that Tromp filed in his tax returns from 2007 to 2015 incorrectly, but ruled that there was insufficient evidence that he had done this deliberately. According to his lawyers, the case had led to the dismissal of Tromp as President of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten on September 3rd, 2017. They announced further steps would be taken to restore Tromp’s good reputation.
The mistake on the part of Tromp represented 5.589.287 guilders in unpaid taxes, around 3.175.731 dollars, based on a monthly salary of 59.915 guilders ($33.472) and emoluments. His lawyers maintained that the now 59-year old ex-president of the Central Bank only has to pay the 7 figures after his retirement and that he intends to do so.
The investigation into former CBCS-president Tromp, labeled the Sapphire case, started in August 2016. Detectives obtained access to his home and searched the trust office he did business with. Phones and computers were seized in the searches that were conducted by the Anti-corruption Taskforce (TBO).
The search at Tromp was part of a large-scale investigation into the two autonomous countries of the Kingdom. This major investigation was instigated by a motion from MPs André Bosman (VVD) and Ronald van Raak (SP). They called upon the Dutch government to “enable an investigation into the (illegal) flows of money between the underworld and the upper world on Curaçao and Sint Maarten, between these countries and with countries outside the kingdom.” The Dutch Second Chamber agreed almost completely and made 22 million euros ($20 million) and 50 investigators available.
Tromps lawyers held the Kingdom of the Netherlands responsible for their client’s legal expenditures. But the Court ruled that the country Curaçao has to pay the 344.135 dollars in compensation. Finance minister Kenneth Gijsbertha said in a statement: “I have to discuss the judgment with our Office of The Legal Adviser, with the Central Bank and our Supervisory Board. I will further comment as soon as I’m done.”
