Last year, on June 13, the Court of First Instance handed down its verdict in the criminal case against G.F.B., the former Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba in the Netherlands.
This case, known as Tulipan, concerns the embezzlement of public funds at Arubahuis. The Court of First Instance found B. guilty of embezzlement and abuse of office, sentencing him to 20 months in prison, with 10 months suspended, and a three-year probationary period.
B. had, as prescribed by law, two weeks to appeal the verdict of the Court of First Instance. However, B. submitted the appeal too late. Therefore, the Joint Court of Justice declared the appeal inadmissible in October 2025, and yesterday, the Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) upheld that position. In other words, the decisions have become irrevocable. B. must serve his prison sentence and pay back 138,688 Aruban florins to the Country of Aruba as part of a confiscation order (ontnemingsvordering).