WILLEMSTAD - During a press conference called by the management of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten, Interim President Dr. José Jardim announced that they are filing a criminal complaint against First Curaçao International Bank (FCIB) owned by John Deuss. Curaçao Chronicle reported on this announcement yesterday.
The drama at Deuss 'offshore bank' FCIB goes back a long time. During the press conference, Dr. Jardim explains that on October 9, 2006, the banking license of the First Curaçao International Bank (FCIB) was withdrawn by the then Central Bank of the Netherlands Antilles (BNA). The court - at the request of BNA - pronounced the emergency regulation regarding that bank. The BNA is the legal predecessor of the current CBCS, which supervises the banking system.
As a result of the emergency regulation, FCIB has been under the control of CBCS ever since. The reason for this was a Dutch criminal investigation into FCIB, which investigation led to a conviction and a transaction for FCIB in 2012/2013.
In 2013 the OM in the Netherlands agreed on a comprehensive arrangement with FCIB, John Deuss and his sister Tineke Deuss. It was then agreed to withdraw the appeal lodged on both sides against the judgment rendered in 2012 by the Arnhem District Court. The consequence of this is that the judgments have become irrevocable. The deprivation based on this criminal case is suitable for the Dutch OM for an amount of 34.5 million euros.
The criminal investigation into money laundering was then also terminated. FCIB and its two supervisors have agreed to a transaction with the OM in the form of payment of a sum of 500,000 euros. The civil proceedings against the Dutch State have been stopped.
FCIB was ordered in the first instance to pay a fine of 1,190,000 euros. The executives were both sentenced to six months' suspended prison terms with a probationary period of two years and a fine of 327,000 euros.
When they thought they done with this case in the Netherlands in mid-2013, the headquarters of the FCIB in Curaçao was searched in October 2017 and March 2018 under the leadership of the examining magistrate. "The immediate reason for the searches was incoming foreign legal assistance requests at the OM Curaçao regarding FCIB."
On its social media, the Public Prosecution Service in Willemstad announced that “the transaction would contribute to the rapid settlement of FCIB as a bank, which would make it possible to lift the emergency regulation.”
Dr. Jardim stated that the transaction was settled last Friday, partly after a thorough investigation by the Central Bank and a complaint filed at the Public Prosecution Service of the then suspected criminal acts.