WILLEMSTAD – Minister of Finance Charles Cooper has sharply criticized the Committee for Financial Supervision (Cft) for suggesting in its most recent communication that the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) is under investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In a strongly worded letter dated December 1, Cooper calls the statement “incorrect, unfounded, and extraordinarily careless,” adding that it damages both the reputation of the CGA and the economic interests of the country.
The letter responds to a passage in the Cft’s reaction to Curaçao’s third execution report, in which the Cft said it “understood that there is an investigation by the Public Prosecutor into the CGA.” Cooper says that neither he nor the Minister of Justice has been informed of any such investigation and stresses that no public information exists to support the claim.
According to Cooper, the Cft’s suggestion—made without verification or consultation—creates unwarranted suspicion about a newly formed autonomous regulatory body that plays a central role in Curaçao’s financial and economic development. He warns that the statement could discourage license holders and potential investors and could undermine confidence in the island’s regulatory reforms.
The minister further argues that making such claims falls outside the Cft’s legal mandate, which is strictly limited to supervising government finances, budgets, and debt positions. Linking unverified “criminal investigation rumors” to the concept of financial good governance, he notes, is “entirely misplaced.”
Cooper demands that the Cft refrain from making public statements based on unverified information and from addressing matters that fall outside its oversight powers. He also expresses concern that the Cft appears to have relied on media reports or third-party rumors instead of official sources.
“The government views this incident as a serious overstepping of boundaries between financial supervision and criminal matters,” Cooper writes, insisting that any future correspondence must respect the limits set by the Rijkswet financieel toezicht.