Kralendijk- The Public Prosecutor in Bonaire (OM-BES), has reached a settlement with a large construction company on the island. The company in question was prosecuted by OM-BES for various violations, ranging from the evasion of payroll and ABB taxes to the unprotected working with materials containing asbestos in the center of Kralendijk. As part of the settlement, the company in question the company and its director must pay a fine of 100.000 dollars and execute community service for a total of 240 hours. There will be a probationary period of 3 years. This means that if new offenses are committed, the director will still be brought before the judge.

The tax fraud was discovered during an assessment of the Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland (B/CN) in Bonaire, followed by an examination by the Fiscale Inlichtingen en Opsporingsdienst (FIOD) from The Netherlands. The Prosecutor’s office, motivating the choice of reaching a settlement in this case, stated that it this was the first case of this nature on the island. The prosecutor’s office also stated that is important that people are aware that tax evasion will be actively prosecuted. “Now that the standard is obvious for everyone, the next similar case will go to court for obvious reasons”, said Chief-Prosecutor Henry Hambeukers. The construction company in question will also have to rectify any incorrect tax declarations over the past years and make corresponding payments, which is something separate from the prosecution by the prosecutor’s office.