In a significant move against organized crime, Surinamese legislators Ebu Jones (NDP) and Ivanildo Plein (NPS) have introduced groundbreaking legislation enabling authorities to fully confiscate illegally obtained assets from convicted criminals. The proposed Confiscation of Illegally Obtained Profits Act—colloquially termed the ‘Bare Plucking Law’—represents a paradigm shift in the nation’s approach to criminal justice by targeting the financial foundations of unlawful activities.
The initiative specifically addresses Suriname’s escalating challenges with organized crime, corruption, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, human trafficking, and financial-economic offenses. Assembly member Jones emphasized that conventional law enforcement methods have proven insufficient when focusing solely on incarceration rather than asset recovery. “The state frequently loses millions while convicted individuals return to society after serving prison sentences with their criminal proceeds intact. This constitutes a double injustice for citizens,” Jones stated during the parliamentary session.
Current legislation within Suriname’s Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure is deemed fragmented and outdated, particularly regarding modern wealth forms including cryptocurrencies, digital wallets, and complex corporate structures. The proposed framework establishes a lex specialis—a specialized legal regime—that operates alongside existing criminal statutes, enabling proportional and effective seizure of both directly and indirectly obtained criminal assets regardless of their location.
Key objectives of the new legislation include:
– Disrupting the financial infrastructure supporting criminal enterprises
– Enhancing the integrity of Suriname’s financial-economic system
– Increasing transparency in asset flows across jurisdictions
– Strengthening judicial authorities’ information-gathering capabilities
– Fostering structured collaboration with financial institutions
– Restoring public confidence in the rule of law
Jones concluded that comprehensive asset recovery is essential for reestablishing societal trust: “Retrieving criminal profits is crucial for restoring legal consciousness and demonstrating that crime will never again be profitable.”