Court upholds corruption conviction of former Suriname bank president
Robert van Trikt, former head of the Central Bank of Suriname, remains guilty of bribery. His prison sentence has been reduced from eight to six years.
Court upholds corruption conviction of former Suriname bank president
The Court of Justice in Paramaribo has confirmed the conviction of Robert van Trikt. The chartered accountant and former governor of the Central Bank of Suriname (CBvS) remains guilty of corruption. However, his sentence has been reduced from eight to six years imprisonment.
In spring 2022, Van Trikt was already convicted by the lower court for large-scale bribery. He was also fined half a million Surinamese dollars. The court established at that time that he was engaged in money laundering, embezzlement and the drawing up of false documents. The missing sum of money was estimated at 125 million euros.
The former banker was charged with backdating credits and mixing personal and business interests. As president of the central bank, he allegedly awarded contracts to his own accounting practice Orion Assurance & Advisory. A co-owner of this firm, also an accountant, received a sentence of four years.
The Court furthermore ordered Van Trikt to repay 625,000 euros. This amount was said to have been obtained unlawfully and used for private purposes. On the other hand, the premises of the accounting firm, which had previously been seized, must be returned to Orion.
The time the convicted person has already spent in custody — over two years — will be deducted from the total sentence.
Source: Accountant.nl
Source: Google News SR — Crime