On May 22, a high-stakes parliamentary hearing process kicked off in Suriname for three former senior political officials, who face criminal investigation over allegations of misconduct during their time in government. A key development emerged on the opening day: the hearing for Riad Nurmohamed, the country’s former Minister of Public Works, will proceed behind closed doors, after the former official personally requested that the session not be open to the public.
Rabin Parmessar, chair of the special parliamentary committee tasked with overseeing these hearings for political officeholders, confirmed the decision in an interview with local outlet Starnieuws, emphasizing that the panel respects Nurmohamed’s choice. “We cannot force him to proceed with an open hearing if he does not want one,” Parmessar noted, adding that National Assembly hearings are closed to the public by default, with exceptions granted only under specific circumstances.
This closed-door arrangement stands in contrast to the hearing for a second former minister, Bronto Somohardjo, ex-Minister of the Interior. In that case, the committee voted by majority to grant the former official’s request for an open hearing, departing from the standard rule. Four committee members supported holding the public hearing, two opposed the move, and one abstained from the vote, clearing the way for an open session for Somohardjo.
The entire series of hearings is rooted in a request from Suriname’s Public Prosecutor General, launched under the country’s Prosecution of Political Officeholders Act. Prosecutors at the Public Ministry (OM) say they have accumulated sufficient evidence to justify moving forward with criminal proceedings against all three former cabinet members. Under Suriname’s law, the National Assembly must grant formal approval before any criminal prosecution of former political officeholders can proceed.
The allegations against each former official center on distinct cases of alleged misconduct:
The case against Gillmore Hoefdraad, the country’s former Finance Minister, focuses on potential irregularities linked to state funds and the management of assets at the Surinamese Postal Savings Bank. Prosecutors have flagged suspected fraud, abuse of official authority, and circumvention of regulatory oversight as key areas of investigation.
Nurmohamed, the first former minister scheduled for hearing on May 22, is tied to alleged irregularities in the Pan American Real Estate affordable housing construction project. Investigators are probing financial agreements, contractor payments, and the execution of infrastructure works for the initiative, with prosecutors citing reasonable suspicion of forgery, fraud, and abuse of official power.
For Somohardjo, investigators are examining allegations that he misused the Ministry of Interior’s personnel, equipment, and public funds for partisan political activities and personal gain. Prosecutors also claim he provided preferential treatment to a connected construction company for government contracts and improper payments from the ministry’s budget.
Per the published hearing schedule, Nurmohamed’s closed hearing was set to begin at 9:00 a.m. local time, followed by Somohardjo’s open hearing at 11:00 a.m., and Hoefdraad’s hearing scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The outcome and logistics of Hoefdraad’s hearing remain uncertain, however, as the former Finance Minister has been a fugitive from justice for years.