Judicial reform debate takes over the parliament

Happy Monday!

This week, we cover debates in parliament over judicial reform, sentencing of police after the Pikin Saron unrest that killed two people, and the Central Bank’s report on the economy in 2025.

The reform for public prosecution is debated in parliament as the prosecutor general’s position comes under political questioning.

• There is broad agreement across parties that reform of the judiciary and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) is necessary, but sharp differences on how and how fast it should be done.

• Ebu Jones of the National Democratic Party (NDP) frames reform as a structural, future-oriented necessity to strengthen the rule of law, stressing institutions, legal principles, checks and balances, and the need for a third judicial instance.

• Jones argues that fair trial rights begin at investigation and prosecution, where the OM and prosecutor-general wield significant power that requires stronger safeguards and transparency.

• Poetini Atompai of the National Party of Suriname (NPS) opposes joining the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) and instead favors linking cassation to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, citing legal tradition, accessibility, and cost concerns.

• Atompai strongly supports a collegial board of prosecutors-general, arguing that concentrated power in one PG increases the risk of political interference that he claims existed under former President Santokhi and weak oversight.

• Jerrel Pawiroredjo (NPS) emphasizes that the core problems lie in capacity shortages, weak foundations in first and second instance courts, and poor resourcing—not leadership restructuring at the top.

• Pawiroredjo supports cassation in principle but prefers joining the CCJ over creating a national Supreme Court, warning that a small system cannot absorb additional institutional layers.

• Ronnie Brunswijk (ABOP) warns that proposed reforms risk undermining the independence of the prosecutor-general, weakening appointment safeguards, continuity, and institutional balance within the OM.

• Brunswijk argues that fragmented reforms could shift power rather than strengthen the rule of law, and questions whether a collegial PG model fits Suriname’s scale and governance realities.

• Overall, there is a shared concern for judicial independence and rule of law, but deep divisions over institutional design, cassation options, concentration of power, and whether reform should prioritize structural safeguards or capacity building first.

The Public Prosecutor’s office demands a sentence for police officers in the Pikin Saron Case.

• The Public Prosecutor’s Office has demanded a 12-month suspended prison sentence with a three-year probation period for seven police officers standing trial in the Pikin Saron case.

• The prosecution stated that the officers used disproportionate force during the unrest in Pikin Saron on May 2, 2023.

• As a result of the police violence, Martinus Wolfjager and Ivanildo Dijksteel were killed.

• The officers claimed they fired their weapons out of necessity due to the chaos and said the victims were attempting to flee.

• A forensic pathologist’s report contradicts this, showing the bullet trajectories indicate the victims were not fleeing at the time they were shot.

• The prosecution concluded that the victims no longer posed an immediate threat when the shots were fired.

• The pathologist also stated that both men might have survived with timely medical assistance, but they bled to death after being left on the ground for an extended period.

• A crime-scene reconstruction confirmed that both victims were already on the ground and shot from close range by officers from RBT Paramaribo and RBT Midden.

• A witness testified that Wolfjager told officers he had surrendered shortly before being shot.

• While acknowledging the dangerous situation and the rescue of 27 hostages, the prosecution argued that trained police officers should have shown greater restraint; the defense will present its plea on March 10.

• The case finally proceeded after being delayed many times before.

Suriname’s economy recorded growth last year, but it was slow, and inflation rose to 11.4% harming economic prosperity.

• Suriname’s economy recorded modest growth of 0.6% in Q2 2025, slightly slower than in the same quarter of 2024, according to the Central Bank of Suriname (CBvS).

• Growth was driven mainly by trade, transport, and hospitality, while industry, mining, and agriculture contracted due to lower gold output and reduced logging activity.

• Inflation increased again, with end-of-quarter inflation at 3.6% and average inflation at 2.4%.

• Rising prices were fueled by depreciation of the Surinamese dollar, higher costs for food, transport, water, and cooking gas, and heavy rainfall affecting food supply.

• Inflationary pressure is expected to continue in Q3 2025; year-end inflation reportedly rose from about 10% to 11.4%.

• Public finances deteriorated, with revenues of SRD 12.8 billion versus expenditures of SRD 15.2 billion, resulting in a budget deficit of SRD 2.4 billion.

• Spending growth outpaced revenues due to higher wage costs, subsidies, election-related expenses, and temporary purchasing-power measures for civil servants and pensioners.

• Public debt increased to SRD 140.6 billion, equal to 95.8% of GDP, with over 80% denominated in foreign currency, increasing exchange-rate vulnerability.

• The CBvS cut interest rates sharply to reduce financing costs, but lower lending rates have not yet fully reached the banking sector, while excess liquidity has risen.

• The CBvS warns that without structural reforms and tighter fiscal discipline, inflation, debt, and budgetary pressures will persist, especially in the period after the IMF program.