On June 4, Suriname’s National Assembly (DNA) convened a public plenary session to process three formal requests from the country’s Prosecutor General (PG) seeking approval to launch criminal proceedings against three former senior cabinet ministers. The high-stakes gathering comes as the body faces a tight legal deadline to rule on the requests, with a 90-day window for a decision set to expire on June 9.
After a lengthy round of debate and an extended recess, assembly members reached a key procedural agreement: the three requests will each be considered individually in open session. This marked a resolution of an earlier deadlock over whether the committee review of the requests, which has now been completed, would be held behind closed doors. Following the resumption of the suspended procedural meeting, lawmakers confirmed that all three motions would be debated and voted on publicly.
The first request up for consideration targets Riad Nurmohamed, former Minister of Public Works in the outgoing Santokhi administration. Next, the assembly will take up the request against Gillmore Hoefdraad, who served as Minister of Finance during the Bouterse administration. The final motion on the agenda concerns Bronto Somohardjo, another former Santokhi-era minister who held the portfolio of Internal Affairs; Somohardjo is already the subject of an investigation into suspected unlawful activities committed during his time in office.
All three requests follow the formal legal process laid out in Suriname’s Act on the Prosecution of Political Office Holders. Under the country’s law, the National Assembly must grant explicit approval to the Prosecutor General’s request before any criminal prosecution can proceed against sitting or former cabinet members. The PG submitted the requests to the legislature months earlier, and the 90-day statutory deadline for the assembly’s decision mandates that a vote be held before the end of this week.
The proceeding has drawn intense public and political attention, as it involves high-profile former officials from two consecutive opposing administrations in Suriname. The outcome of the assembly’s votes will directly shape the future legal path for the three ex-ministers: any approval will clear the way for formal criminal investigation and prosecution, while rejection would bring the process to a halt. Updates on the progression of the public session are being tracked in real time via an associated live blog.