Former Suriname minister sentenced for money-laundering

By Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent

A former Suriname government minister was sentenced on Monday to serve a jail term for money-laundering. Siegfried Gilds, a former trade minister in the incumbent Venetiaan-administration, was also found guilty of bribing a witness and slapped with a cumulative jail term of 12 months for the two offences. He was found not guilty on the charge of being part of a criminal organisation.

Shortly after the verdict was read, Gilds, still claiming his innocence, told journalists he was "shocked" by the length of the sentence. Meanwhile, his attorneys have indicated that they will appeal the verdict. Gilds is the second ex-minister from the ruling New Front coalition led by President Ronald Venetiaan, who has been found guilty on criminal charges. On December 2008, former minister of Public Works, Dewanand Balesar was also slapped with a two-year jail term for corruption.

The court on Monday found that the ex-minister was guilty of laundering drug money on behalf of a relative in the Netherlands, by purchasing houses and developing real estate properties in Suriname between 2000-2005. That relative was sentenced in December 2005 to a two-year jail term on the same charges in the Netherlands.

Gilds' prosecution started in January 2006, when prosecutors here received information from the Dutch judicial authorities over his alleged involvement in money-laundering. According to the information that surfaced during the trial of his nephew in the Netherlands, the relative claimed that his uncle, Gilds, was his agent in Suriname and taking care of his financial and other businesses.

Ex-minister Gilds is chairman of the coalition Suriname Labour Party (SPA) and one of the four New Front leaders. He was appointed minister of Trade and Industry in September 2005, after the New Front coalition won the general elections of May 2005. In the previous cabinet (2000-2005) he held the post of minister of Justice and Police, while in the 80s and 90s he was appointed as minister of Labour and minister of Defence.

During his tenure as minister of Justice and Police, Gilds has strongly supported anti-money laundering activities of the government and championed anti-money laundering laws, which were passed in September 2002 by parliament.

Source: Caribbean Net News