“Ties with DEA will be strengthened”

The ties with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will be strengthened. Justice and Police Minister Stuart Getrouw on Tuesday told the press that on Monday he received a visit from outgoing U.S. Ambassador Edwin Nolan at his request. Minister Getrouw pointed out that due to a certain line of thought the DEA no longer wanted to cooperate with Suriname. At the end of their conversation Ambassador Nolan assured the minister that the collaboration will be strengthened and ratified. “To me that is a milestone. We made good arrangements for the future. We need the collaboration,” said Minister Getrouw who added that he and Ambassador Nolan also discussed the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU). Getrouw explained that the CTU is part of the National Security Bureau and that the Justice and Police Ministry’s role is to assign police officers to the unit. After consulting the attorney general, the minister removed the policemen from the unit. The minister pointed out that the CTU consists of people who collect information and that arrests are made afterwards under supervision of an assistant prosecutor. According to Minister Getrouw, the president and the director of the National Security Bureau had been informed. He and the attorney general agreed to recruit new people after he had presented a profile description.

Ambassador Nolan reportedly emphasized the fact that money laundering must be given priority. The minister explained to the ambassador that last week the attorney general attended a ministerial meeting in Miami on his behalf. The ambassador also talked about the gaming board. Minister Getrouw and the attorney general will reportedly leave for Curaçao in October to hold talks with counterparts. “We do not have to reinvent the wheel. It looks good. We must find the right people for the gaming board. They must be integer people.”