‘I’m victim of political trial’

June 16, 2017

The Schotte couple in court.

WILLEMSTAD–Former Curaçao Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte said at the end of the “Babel” appeal case that he is the victim of a politically motivated process. “Everything has been taken out of their context,” he added. Schotte insisted that all he did was to raise money and get donations for his political party MFK. According to the current Member of Parliament (MP) “nobody ever expected anything in return.” The Public Prosecution accuses him of corruption, bribery, forgery and money laundering. The Court of First Instance convicted Schotte of these charges. He received money from Francesco Corallo, the Italian casino boss who lives in St. Maarten and is now behind bars awaiting extradition to his native country.

The prosecution demanded to maintain the original sentence for Schotte of three years in prison and a five-year revocation of the defendant’s passive voting rights. The same goes for Schotte’s life partner Cicely van der Dijs, who had received 18 months of which nine suspended for her facilitating role. She told the three-judge panel it was “hard to see my husband who is committed to Curaçao being sentenced like a criminal.” The Court will give its verdict on July 24.