WILLEMSTAD.- Yesterday the judge ruled in a case that commercial banks, in this case Maduro & Curiel’s Bank and its subsidiary in Sint Maarten, are not obliged to keep Robbie’s Lottery and Smartplay as customers. Robbie’s Lottery received a letter from MCB and also from the bank’s branch in San Martin, The Windward Island Bank NV, announcing that they will not continue to provide banking services starting November and December 2018. That was the reason that led Robbie’s Lottery to file a case in the court against MCB, probably considering the many years of relationship between the two entities.
After the judge took into consideration the interest for which the bank does not want to continue with Robbie’s Lottery and Smartplay as clients, he indicated that the banks are not obligated. What was momentous in this case was the conviction of Robbie dos Santos and his companies for money laundering and tax fraud. This is the case ‘Wind’ which its sentence was in 2016. Robbie dos Santos did not appeal that sentence and decided to accept the judge’s sentence and pay a fine for punishable acts committed.
MCB and WIB show the integrity risk to be related to the lottery industry in general. The bank points out rules that have been made stricter and also lines of management of the bank, the Central Bank and the shareholders abroad. The six companies of Dos Santos received convictions for dodging taxes, money laundering, forgery and also illegal lottery sales. Dos Santos is mentioned in the case of money laundering in the Netherlands called Cymbal, of the Grynzstein family in Curaçao. As if it were not enough, for more than two years Robbie’s Lottery is not complying with the obligation to give information in the KYC (know your client) box.
