WILLEMSTAD – The Parliament of Curaçao was unable to proceed with discussions on the National Ordinance for Online Gaming (LOK) yesterday due to a lack of quorum. A minimum of eleven parliamentarians is required to convene, but only nine members were present at the start of the session.
The meeting was initially opened by Deputy Speaker Gilbert Doran, who instructed the clerk to count the attendees. After confirming the lack of quorum, the meeting was postponed.
Later in the day, Corine Djaoen-Genaro attempted to reopen the session, but once again, there were insufficient members present. It was ultimately decided to reschedule the meeting for this morning.
Finance Minister Javier Silvania and his team were present yesterday, prepared to discuss the legislation. Silvania had previously urged Parliament Speaker Charetti America-Francisca to expedite the law’s approval, citing its urgency for Curaçao’s financial regulations and its ongoing “Mutual Evaluation” process.
The Mutual Evaluation refers to periodic assessments of a country’s efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, conducted by international organizations such as the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), which operates under the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The National Ordinance for Online Gaming is critical for regulating and supervising the gaming sector. The urgency follows concerns raised by the Dutch House of Representatives, which passed a motion on November 12 highlighting issues such as money laundering, criminal activities, and governance integrity in Curaçao. The motion calls on the Dutch government to collaborate with Curaçao to implement stricter rules and oversight for the gaming industry.
Minister Silvania emphasized that swift approval of the LOK is essential to address risks like money laundering and criminal interference, thereby safeguarding the integrity of governance.
Minister Silvania’s urgency is countered by parliamentarian Luigi Faneyte, who has filed a criminal complaint against the Finance Minister and three Maltese business partners. Faneyte accuses them of corruption, fraud, money laundering, and official misconduct related to the issuance of online gaming licenses. According to Faneyte, the financial flows within the licensing system largely occur outside of Curaçao.
Licenses are already being issued, despite the fact that Parliament has yet to discuss or approve the legislation.
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Publish date : 2024-12-17 02:54:00
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