Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Money laundering trial against former Surinamese minister postponed
01-17-2007

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Minutes after a long awaited money laundering trial against a former Suriname cabinet minister started here, the hearings were postponed until next month. Although the judge didn’t give an explanation for his move, it was reported that the decision was taken because another magistrate will now handle the case.

Defence lawyers of accused former minister of Trade, Siegfried Gilds, submitted a formal request to the bench to suspend the prosecution since their client that same morning had filed a civil lawsuit against the state, notably the Prosecutor’s Office.

On Thursday, January 11, 2007, the former minister filed summary proceedings against the State, alleging that during the months before the trial started the state had violated his fundamental human rights and freedoms.

After the prosecutor and the defence lawyers were summoned into chambers and the postponement was announced, the attorneys retracted the request. They will made the same request when the trial resumes on February 19, 2007, reporters were told.

In an invited comment, defence lawyer Stanley Marica, said that, by virtue of article 7 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, his client is entitled to ask the bench to suspend the trial until sentence is passed in the civil lawsuits.

Ex-minister Gilds is being tried for alleged laundering of drug money on behalf of a relative in the Netherlands, by purchasing houses and other real estate in Suriname between 2000 and 2005. The relative was sentenced in December 2005 to a two-year jail term on the same charges in the Netherlands.

Last week Gilds expressed relief that, after a year of investigations, the trial has started. Responding to questions if the civil lawsuits aren’t a strategic move to derail the criminal case against him, he stated that his defence team is making the calls.

“I gave them carte blanche to defend me and, if this is a move that they deem fit, I have to comply with that,” said the former cabinet minister.

The summary proceedings start this Thursday but the court hasn’t set a date yet for the civil lawsuit. The details of these cases were not revealed.

Gilds, was appointed minister of Trade and Industry in September 2005, after the New Front coalition won the general elections of May 2005. In the previous cabinet (2000-2005) he held the post of minister of Justice and Police, while in the 80s and 90s he was appointed as minister of Labour and minister of Defence.

During his tenure as minister of Justice and Police, Gilds has strongly supported anti-money laundering activities of the government and championed anti-money laundering laws, which were passed in September 2002 by parliament.