WILLEMSTAD – The Public Prosecutor’s Office has not yet officially received a complaint concerning alleged corruption involving Curaçao’s plenipotentiary minister, Carls Manuel. This was confirmed by spokesperson Roderick Gouverneur of the Openbaar Ministerie.
The issue resurfaced over the weekend after a letter from Jordan Pietersz to the Governor of Curaçao became public. In that letter, Pietersz refers to alleged corrupt practices involving the plenipotentiary minister.
Email correspondence dated January 8 shows that the Governor’s Cabinet had already received the letter on November 26, 2025, and forwarded it to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Despite this, the Public Prosecutor confirmed that the complaint has not yet formally reached the office. According to the spokesperson, the Public Prosecutor is awaiting receipt of the letter before determining what further steps may be taken.
In public statements on social media, Pietersz alleges that taxi companies transporting Curaçaoan officials in the Netherlands charged additional fees, part of which allegedly ended up with Manuel. He also claims to have transferred money to Manuel in order to qualify for work at the Huis van Curaçao. Pietersz published transaction records to support his claims. Manuel has so far not responded publicly to the allegations.
The matter unfolds against the backdrop of a broadly supported motion adopted by the Curaçao Parliament on December 19, 2025. The motion calls for an investigation into the financial and personnel management of the House of Curaçao and the office of the plenipotentiary minister.
According to the motion, concerns about financial management have existed for some time. Financial documents for 2023 were only submitted to Parliament in July 2025, and the parliamentary financial department identified discrepancies in invoices, unexplained taxi expenses, and payments that were difficult to verify.
Parliament has requested the Algemene Rekenkamer Curaçao to initiate an independent investigation as soon as possible into the integrity, legality, and efficiency of financial management over the period from 2022 through 2025. The complaint involving the plenipotentiary minister, which has yet to formally reach the Public Prosecutor’s Office, adds a potential criminal dimension to the ongoing political and administrative scrutiny.