WILLEMSTAD - The leader of the opposition party PAR has sharply criticized Minister of Finance Javier Silvania, accusing him of systematically avoiding financial oversight and endangering public funds. In a letter dated February 1, PAR faction leader Quincy Girigorie stated that the party no longer has confidence in the minister’s handling of public finances and warned that a lack of control creates opportunities for corruption.
According to Girigorie, recent public disputes between Minister Cooper and the General Audit Chamber should not be seen as isolated incidents. He argues that they reflect a broader pattern in which the minister resists scrutiny from both oversight institutions and the Curaçao Parliament. The letter claims that since taking office, Cooper has repeatedly sought to minimize or bypass controls on government financial management.
Girigorie refers to a report issued by the General Audit Chamber on August 18, 2025, which warned that Curaçao’s public finances were in a dire state, a situation the watchdog said had persisted for several years. One of the key findings in that report, according to PAR, is that the government has failed to respect Parliament’s constitutional role in budgetary matters.
Under Curaçao’s comptability legislation, Parliament is responsible for approving the budget, and the government may only adjust it under exceptional circumstances, such as urgent and unforeseen events. Even then, the law requires that Parliament be informed immediately, and limits such budget changes to a maximum of four occasions per year. Girigorie states that the General Audit Chamber found that the government has repeatedly altered the budget without meeting these legal criteria and without informing Parliament as required by law.
The PAR leader specifically points to the purchase of Campo Alegre in December 2022 by the second Pisas cabinet, which he says was carried out through a budget amendment procedure without notifying Parliament. According to Girigorie, this constitutes a double violation of financial oversight laws.
In response to these concerns, PAR submitted a motion during the debate on the 2026 budget calling on the government to inform Parliament on a quarterly basis about all budget changes already implemented. Girigorie stresses that this would not delay government decision-making, but would simply provide Parliament with the tools needed to exercise its oversight role.
Minister Cooper rejected the motion during a public meeting on December 16, arguing that it would slow down government operations. Girigorie dismisses that argument as unfounded, stating that reporting to Parliament after budget changes have already been made cannot delay decisions that are already final. He describes the minister’s position as an attempt to avoid parliamentary control.
The letter also criticizes the governing coalition for backing the minister in what PAR describes as efforts to shield illegal financial management from parliamentary scrutiny. Girigorie further recalls a previous controversy involving a December 13, 2023 letter signed by Cooper in his capacity as acting Minister of Finance, requesting a payment of nearly 19 million guilders, including more than one million guilders described as “free free,” to a company linked to former prime minister Gerrit Schotte. According to Girigorie, questions raised about that payment in May 2024 remain unanswered.
PAR concludes that a Minister of Finance who refuses oversight by both Parliament and the General Audit Chamber poses a serious risk to public finances. The opposition party says it will continue to closely monitor the minister’s actions and reiterates that it cannot entrust him with the management of public funds.
