Member of Parliament Endy Croes expressed his astonishment at the actions of AVP-Futuro MPs regarding the “Avestruz” (Ostrich) case involving former AVP minister Benny Sevinger. On April 14, five judges in the Dutch Supreme Court (Cassation) issued a firm ruling against the AVP criminal group, which includes Benny Sevinger, Leoncita Arends of Canal 90, and Pieter Sussebeek.
The case has undergone rigorous evaluation across all levels of the judicial system:
- One (1) Judge in the Court of First Instance.
- Three (3) Judges in the Court of Appeals (Hof).
- Five (5) Judges in the Supreme Court (Casacion).
With sufficient evidence and “hard facts,” these nine judges found Benny Sevinger and his associates guilty of the largest corruption scandal in Aruban history. Croes noted that despite their claims of practicing “modern politics,” the new AVP-Futuro MPs have remained silent on the matter. “Shame!” he remarked.
A Smokescreen Strategy One week prior to the verdict, AVP-Futuro MPs were active with a strategy to divert attention from the impending Supreme Court ruling. According to Croes, the faction clung to a report from the General Audit Chamber (Rekenkamer) regarding the 2020 annual accounts. He clarified that the passage concerning FASE (emergency pandemic assistance) was merely a repetition of arguments published back in 2022, intended to create a “smokescreen.”
Croes criticized MPs such as Bermudez, Hart, Kelly, Heyliger, and Jennifer for producing videos and “reels” to highlight the report. He lamented that their ultimate message was a demand for the government to claw back funds from the 15,000 citizens who received FASE assistance. “Attacking a social aid program that helped thousands of families during a crisis just to divert attention from corruption within their own ranks is simply ridiculous,” Croes stated.
Protecting Land Deals while Targeting Social Aid On behalf of the MEP faction, Endy Croes presented a motion on April 16, immediately following the Supreme Court’s confirmation that the AVP associates must serve their sentences in prison (KIA). The motion sought to:
- Direct the Government to investigate all land parcels where illegal dealings by Sevinger were proven.
- Facilitate the revocation of these land grants.
- Ensure the lands are returned to the Country of Aruba and distributed to citizens in genuine need.
To the surprise of many, the AVP-Futuro faction voted AGAINST the motion. With 11 votes against, the motion was rejected. Croes pointed out the hypocrisy: these 11 MPs want to collect money back from 15,000 citizens who received FASE during the pandemic, yet they opted to let illegal land deals stand.
“AVP-Futuro has certified the historical theft of Aruba. This is the supposed ‘new and modern politics’ they preach. While they pursue humble citizens for FASE, they protect the bandits who stole the people’s land,” Croes concluded.