After 9 months of silence, Minister Croes responded in writing on August 28, 2026, to questions regarding his private jet trip to Curaçao on November 19, 2025. Unfortunately, the minister left the most crucial questions unanswered.
What the minister now confirms For the first time, the minister confirmed in writing that he paid a portion of the flight costs. Specifically: he contributed to the landing fee. This is different from what he has been saying over the past 9 months. His explanation has changed several times: first it was a “lift,” then he paid for the complete flight, then “share cost,” and now only the landing fee. All of these cannot be true at the same time.
What the minister refuses to say A landing fee is not the total cost of a private jet. Fuel, crew, handling, and operational costs are not included in that. The minister confirms that he did not pay these, but refuses to say who did. His argument: the payment is part of his private life, and therefore he does not have to account to parliament. But this is where the problem lies. The Chief of Staff of his own ministry confirmed in writing on November 19, 2025, via an email sent to the Council of Ministers, that this was an official service trip. The minister cannot treat an official trip as a private matter when it suits him to avoid accountability.
What the Code of Conduct for Ministers states The Code of Conduct for Ministers is clear: if another person paid part of the costs of an official trip, the minister has the obligation to declare and justify this. The minister says that the Code of Conduct does not apply here. That is legally incorrect.
What the LAR Objection Advisory Committee established The LAR Objection Advisory Committee declared the faction’s objection well-founded (gegrond) and established that the minister violated the principle of due care (zorgvuldigheid). The minister had a legal obligation to respond substantively and refused to do so. Now he has answered, but only partially.
The remaining questions
- Who paid the rest of the flight costs?
- Under what conditions was that done?
- How was this declared in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Ministers?
“We are not asking to see the minister’s personal bank account. We are asking for information about a payment that the minister himself confirms he made in connection with an official trip as a minister. If there is private information on the receipt, the law stipulates that you must remove the private information and show proof of how much was paid, on what day, and to whom. This is not information about the minister’s private life. This is public information in his role as minister of our country,” according to faction leader Evelyn Wever-Croes.
The next step The minister has been invited thirteen (13) times in the past 9 months to give an account in Parliament. He has not appeared. Now that he has confirmed himself that he paid part of an official trip and that a third person paid the rest — the question remains unanswered. The President of Parliament and the minister must set the date for the meeting. If they do not, Parliament will pursue every available legal avenue, including the Court and the Public Prosecution Service.
The solution is very simple and is in the hands of a single person: the minister in question. Answer the questions. Hand over the documentation. Clear the doubt. Parliament will not stop asking questions because it inconveniences a public official. If we accept today that a minister does not have to answer when a question becomes inconvenient, what will we accept for tomorrow? Parliament exists to ensure that the people of Aruba have a government that accounts for its actions, and that will never be negotiable.