Parliament has not been informed that the state occupies the Surinamese Luchtvaartmaatschappij (SLM) premises, belonging to Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 246 was purchased for $688,499.50 from SLM. NDP Parliamentarian Stephan Tsang told the Suriname Herald that the National Assembly (DNA) is not aware of this strange financial structure (again).
Tsang would like to see the valuation report regarding the sale of SLM property to the 100 percent shareholders of SLM. He will likely raise the issue when DNA meets in public on September 5. This meeting is held behind closed doors where various matters in the SLM are discussed. Society shouldn’t be a part of this. “I’m not in favor of a public commission anyway because it’s a muzzle,” says Tsang. According to him, the SLM is a very important topic as the community needs to know what is going on.
In recent days, former SLM Director Paul de Haan, and former SLM Supervisory Board Chairman Xaviera Gissoron have shared their view of the story in the media. For example, both indicated that the government was aware of the agreement signed with lawyer Prenobe Bissessur. “Once again, we’re getting contradictory statements about the president’s claims in the DNA, and this isn’t the first time,” Tsang said.
It is not surprising, then, that trust in government has disappeared. Anyway, someone in a managerial position is at least lying and that’s too bad. Tsang continues: “If the government is aware of the questionable Bissor construction, you also wonder to what extent in the government there are members who belong to a criminal gang.”
According to Tsang, what should happen with the SLM is that in any case there should be transparency and the government should present the recovery plan. The attorney general must conduct an independent investigation, without presidential investigative committees. Personally, Tsang is of the opinion that Bessor, Gisooron and de Haan should have long ago been held in remand, as did the prosecution in the cases of Gilmore Hovdrad, Robert Van Trickett, and Ashwin Adin. Otherwise, it looks more and more like selective political persecution.
Tsang further states that it is clear that a contract was signed with a company that was founded a month ago and its founder did not take the oath as a lawyer. The President himself stated that the sums were not acceptable and immediately relieved Bessor of all those positions. “I am calling for an investigation into possible misconduct in all the agencies where he held the position,” Tsang said. He hopes that DNA will finally have a list of all his positions in government and parastatal companies.
