This morning the Court of Justice handled the criminal case initiated by the Public Prosecution Service against the Bulgarian man Z.V.D. (45) and the Dominican J.B. (40), who resides in Aruba. They are accused of falsifying credit cards and targeting Banco di Caribe ATMs between November 8, 2024 and December 20, 2024.
It was revealed that one of the Bulgarians, K., has already been sentenced to 8 months in prison and removed from Aruba. The judge postponed the case against J.B. to obtain additional information, while the prosecutor demanded 8 months of imprisonment for the Bulgarian Z.V.D.
Case Against One Suspect Postponed
The judge stated that police recognized J.B. at an ATM through security camera footage. However, the judge requested an additional police report regarding the identification of J.B. The current report does not specify which images were used to recognize him or how the identification was made. The judge also wants to know whether J.B. was known to police previously.
Since the report is not yet complete, the prosecutor said that if the judge insists on receiving it, the case must be postponed. Attorney Mr. Canwood stated he had no objection to postponement but requested J.B.’s release. J.B. denies involvement. The prosecutor argued that there are serious grounds to keep him detained.
J.B. told the judge that he does not know Z.V.D. and has nothing to do with the case.
Z.V.D.’s attorney, Mr. Emerencia, argued that the identification of J.B. is important because his client is accused of acting together with another person. He requested postponement of Z.V.D.’s case and asked for his release, noting that co-defendant K. was deported after receiving an 8-month sentence.
The prosecutor opposed releasing Z.V.D., stating that he has been detained for 5 months so far, which does not justify release given the seriousness of the offense.
The judge postponed J.B.’s case until April 10 at 8:30 a.m. to obtain the requested report. The request for his release was denied, and he remains in custody.
As for Z.V.D., the judge stated that the outcome of J.B.’s case does not affect his case, and proceedings against Z.V.D. will continue separately.
80,000 Florins Withdrawn
In response to the judge’s questions, Z.V.D. stated that he owns a Mastercard but did not use Banco di Caribe. The judge explained that a Banco di Caribe employee alerted police after receiving a Mastercard notification that individuals from Europe were using suspicious PIN codes in Aruba. At that moment, 24,000 florins had already been withdrawn using falsified cards.
Security footage showed three individuals repeatedly using the ATMs. Passport photos were compared, and Z.V.D. and K. were identified. K. is reportedly a friend of Z.V.D., and they traveled to Aruba together.
Z.V.D. claimed they came to Aruba for tourism for nearly three months. However, police found three T-shirts in his suitcase matching clothing seen in the footage. A tattoo visible in the footage also matched his own.
According to transaction records sent by Mastercard, 115 transactions were carried out, totaling 80,000 florins. The real cardholder reported not being in Aruba, which triggered Mastercard’s intervention to prevent further withdrawals.
Z.V.D. has now spent 167 days in detention at KIA prison.
8 Months in Prison Demanded
The prosecutor argues that Z.V.D. carried out fraudulent withdrawals from multiple Banco di Caribe ATMs. The case is believed to involve credit card skimming, using copied card data to withdraw funds.
The prosecutor stated that due to global skimming cases, many banks worldwide have updated their ATMs, but those of Banco di Caribe had not yet been modified, making the fraud easier.
Security footage allegedly shows Z.V.D., J.B., and K. at different ATMs. The prosecutor considers this part of an international criminal organization that plans to copy credit cards and produce fraudulent ones. Z.V.D. is said to have been involved in 11 specific fraudulent transactions. The prosecutor demanded 8 months of imprisonment.
Defense
Attorney Mr. Emerencia argued that Z.V.D. denies stealing money and that there is insufficient evidence. Suspicion alone is not proof. According to the defense, Mastercard only reported suspicious movements without concrete proof. Being present at an ATM does not automatically mean illegal transactions were committed.
The defense requested that Z.V.D. be acquitted.
The judge closed the hearing and announced that sentencing will take place on March 6, 2026.