WILLEMSTAD - In Curaçao, the 81-year-old former director of the Giro Bank, Eric Garcia, was again sentenced to 4 years in prison on appeal on Thursday. He also must pay back 19 million guilders. If he does not, he will be in prison for another three years. According to the judge, Garcia deposited 19 million guilders into his own accounts in 2016 as bankruptcy trustee of Banco Maracaibo and later handed over forged financial documents to the examining magistrate. He has been convicted of embezzlement, forgery, and money laundering. In recent months he has been under house arrest due to ill health, the judge has now ruled that he must return to prison.
According to the court, Garcia abused that position and also the trust placed in a trustee by transferring an amount of approximately USD 11 million from that bank's bankruptcy account to other bank accounts.
The Court has recognized that the suspect is elderly and is facing medical complaints, but this does not establish that he is incapable of detention. The suspect and the Public Prosecution Service have 14 days to file an appeal in cassation with the Supreme Court in the Netherlands.