A significant political controversy has emerged in Suriname involving parliamentarian Silvana Afonsoewa, who serves as chair of the Standing Committee on Public Health. Former Health Minister Amar Ramadhin has publicly accused Afonsoewa of improperly receiving government salary without performing work between June 2020 and February 2023 while she was a civil servant at the Ministry of Health.
The case originated when Afonsoewa, having lost her parliamentary seat in the May 2020 elections, applied for a position at the Health Ministry. She was appointed to a non-existent position by then-Minister Antoine Elias and placed on the ministry’s payroll without a fixed workplace or formal documentation of her employment terms. According to ministry records, she received regular salary payments despite never reporting for work during this nearly three-year period.
In early 2023, ministry leadership discovered Afonsoewa’s continued presence on payroll despite her absence from work since June 2020. Her salary was suspended in March 2023, and she was instructed to defend her position. Her defense failed to convince officials that ministry leadership should have been aware of arrangements made with the previous minister.
Afonsoewa subsequently filed an emergency lawsuit against the State of Suriname, demanding payment of back wages from March to November 2023, continuation of salary, and reimbursement of legal costs. The state argued she had no right to compensation since she performed no work, never reported to perform duties, and no written records existed documenting any special arrangements.
The court ruled that while employees generally retain salary rights when unable to work due to employer-related circumstances, they must demonstrate willingness to work. The judge determined Afonsoewa failed to prove she actively and systematically offered to work, thus preventing the conclusion that her inactivity was solely attributable to the state.
The court rejected all of Afonsoewa’s claims and ordered her to pay the state’s legal costs. Despite these judicial findings, Afonsoewa has publicly denied the allegations and presented what Ramadhin characterizes as a complete distortion of facts regarding her ministry tenure.