Large-scale tax fraud on Curaçao: head of Tax Revenue Office identified as key figure
At the tax authority in Curaçao, millions in improper tax refunds have been paid out via WhatsApp. Alfonso Trona, head of the Landsontvanger, personally approved the payments.
Fraud at Curaçao tax authority: millions funnelled away via WhatsApp
Powned.tv reports that large-scale fraud has been discovered at the Curaçao tax authority, with millions disappearing from the state treasury. Whether the amounts are in euros or Caribbean guilders remains unclear — a distinction that matters financially, since one euro is equivalent to approximately two Caribbean guilders.
The key figure in the scandal is Alfonso Trona, head of the Landsontvanger, the department of the tax authority responsible for collecting state revenue. Trona personally approved tax refunds to "both civil servants and non-civil servants, including senior officials and (former) political office-holders", according to the state broadcaster NOS.
The working method was remarkably informal: via WhatsApp, arrangements were made with civil servants, politicians and businesses regarding refunds to which they allegedly had no entitlement. It was sufficient to send a bank account number, after which substantial amounts were paid out. The transactions remained outside the official records and thus evaded oversight.
That was not all. The tax authority simultaneously sent no reminders to residents and businesses in Curaçao who were late with their tax payments, causing the damage to mount further. The total scope is estimated at many millions, although NOS neither specified the amount nor the currency — despite three journalists contributing to the article.
The revelations come at a time when Curaçao's public finances have been under pressure for years. Part of the population lives below the poverty line, whilst a small elite has been able to profit unhindered from poor oversight and institutional shortcomings, according to critics. The national budget has been in a state of mismanagement for some time, according to the powned.tv report.
Source: Google News CW — Crime