A Surinamese repair company has launched formal legal action against a local politician, accusing him of defamation, slander, and document forgery, in a case that has amplified existing tensions over mismanagement allegations at a state-owned enterprise. On Wednesday, M.J. Sardha, a family-owned repair business based in Nickerie, filed the police report against Newalsing Nankoesing, a prominent local politician widely known by his nickname Newara.
The conflict stems from a live social media broadcast hosted by Nankoesing, where he presented what he claimed were three official invoices from M.J. Sardha totaling more than 500,000 Surinamese dollars for work completed for Canawaima Management Company, the state-run port and ferry management firm. During the stream, Nankoesing also made public claims that Richenel Vrieze, president commissioner of Canawaima, holds hidden financial interests in M.J. Sardha, and that the business is officially registered under Vrieze’s wife’s name.
Shaijad Sharda, legal representative for M.J. Sardha and son of the company’s owner, has forcefully refuted all of these accusations. In an interview with local outlet Starnieuws, Sharda made clear that the company never created or submitted the invoices Nankoesing displayed to Canawaima’s leadership. The business had no prior knowledge of the documents until they were spread publicly on social media, he added.
Sharda did confirm that M.J. Sardha has carried out legitimate, contracted work for Canawaima, including major repair work on a ferry engine that remained ongoing until the controversy broke. All of the firm’s work for the state company was completed following standard transparent procurement and contracting procedures, he emphasized, pushing back on the insinuations of nepotism and conflicts of interest.
“There is no family connection whatsoever to Mr. Vrieze. His wife does not work for our company, nor is she any relation to our family,” Sharda stated in the interview. He added that Nankoesing’s unsubstantiated claims have caused severe, lasting damage to the company’s reputation and disrupted its day-to-day operations, leaving the business with no choice but to pursue legal action.
The legal filing comes amid a growing crisis over governance at Canawaima, with multiple officials raising alarms about ongoing irregularities at the state-owned firm. Previously, Dayanand Dwarka, chair of the union representing Canawaima workers, publicly confirmed the existence of the disputed invoices and backed claims of widespread mismanagement at the company. Separately, Lesley Daniël, Canawaima’s terminal manager, submitted a formal written report to Raymond Landveld, Suriname’s Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism, detailing a range of alleged irregularities – including instances where the Board of Commissioners carried out operational activities that fall outside its official mandate.
In response to the growing allegations, Minister Landveld has already announced a full overhaul of Canawaima’s leadership, confirming that the entire existing Board of Commissioners will be replaced. The new board is scheduled to be officially appointed the day after the defamation report was filed, and the minister has also ordered a full independent investigation into potential corrupt activities within the state-owned enterprise.