Dutch Authorities Request Government Assistance to Continue Trafigura Investigations

The Dutch authorities have renewed a request to the Government for the necessary legal assistance to continue investigations into allegations of bribery by oil trading company Trafigura Beheer.
Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, made the announcement in the House of Representatives on (Nov. 13).
In November 2006, Mr. Golding, in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition, wrote to the National Investigation Unit and the National Public Prosecutor for Corruption in the Netherlands, requesting them to conduct an investigation into the payment of $31 million by Trafigura Beheer to an entity known as CCOC Association, which was linked to then Minister of Government, Colin Campbell.
He said that in January 2007, a criminal investigation was launched by the National Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Netherlands against Trafigura, “which is believed to be guilty of having bribed public officials of a foreign state, namely Jamaica. Such an offence, the Prime Minister said is “punishable under the sections 177 and 158 (a) of the Dutch Criminal Code.”
The Prime Minister informed the House that the Dutch authorities have been seeking permission from the Jamaican Government to undertake “official legal investigations” into the matter here.
“The Dutch Authorities are still desirous of pursuing these investigations and would wish to question a number of persons in Jamaica who were involved in the transaction as well as myself, who had brought the matter to public attention,” Mr. Golding stated.
According to Mr. Golding, the Government is of the view that the issues surrounding the payment by Trafigura to entities to which Government officials were connected, warrant much deeper investigation than have up to now been carried out. He noted further that “investigations by our own law enforcement agencies would be assisted by collaboration with the Dutch authorities since Trafigura falls outside our domestic jurisdiction.”
“I therefore wish to advise that, on my instructions, the Minister of Justice has issued an order, pursuant to Section 32(2) of the Mutual Assistance Act, declaring that the provisions of the Act shall apply to the UN (United Nations) Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime and designating the Kingdom of the Netherlands as a foreign state, to which the provisions of the Mutual Assistance (Criminal Matters) Act applies,” Mr. Golding said.
He pointed out that this will enable the Government to consider the Dutch authorities request to travel to Jamaica to carry out their investigations here.
However, as the Order is subject to affirmation by the House, Mr. Golding said that he will move an appropriate resolution to confirm it so that the request can be properly considered.