A high-stakes political controversy has erupted in Suriname after 537 kilograms of seized mercury was stolen from a secured storage container located on the grounds of the Geyersvlijt police district, prompting harsh questioning of the country’s Minister of Justice and Police, Harish Monorath, before the National Assembly.
The stolen mercury was originally seized by authorities on March 14, and stored in a locked container at the local police headquarters pending disposal. Monorath confirmed to lawmakers that all 11 containers holding the contraband, totaling 537kg of the toxic material, had vanished. According to the minister, Suriname currently lacks the specialized infrastructure and regulatory processes required to safely destroy seized mercury, forcing authorities to hold the material in secure police storage long-term.
Monorath told the assembly he was first notified of the break-in on a Friday afternoon. Investigators have confirmed that while other items were held in the same storage facility, only the mercury was taken by thieves. The case has sparked particular outrage because the Geyersvlijt police compound also hosts the Regional Assistance Team Paramaribo, a specialized law enforcement unit, making a large-scale theft from the site deeply embarrassing for the national police force. Monorath publicly described the incident as “serious, disappointing, reprehensible and condemnable”, adding that the theft on secured police territory is unfathomable to him.
Lawmakers across party lines have pushed for accountability and a full transparent investigation. Mahinder Jogi, a member of the Assembly from the ruling VHP party, delivered sharp questioning to the minister, demanding to know how such a large theft could occur, who bore responsibility for the site’s security, and whether the minister would accept political consequences for the failure under his portfolio. He closed his questioning with the blunt, widely shared public question: “Where did the mercury go?”
Rabin Parmessar, leader of the opposition NDP bloc, rejected Monorath’s initial explanation as insufficient, calling for a deep, independent probe that covers all aspects of the incident: the circumstances of the theft, the inadequate security protocols at the site, the functionality of on-site CCTV surveillance, and the performance of local police leadership. Parmessar stressed that the incident is a major stain on the national police institution, which relies on public trust to carry out its core duties.
Stanley Betterson, an Assembly member from the ABOP party, emphasized the urgent need to address gaps in integrity within the national police corps. While he stopped short of calling for the minister’s immediate resignation as an automatic fix, he said Monorath must implement strict, active oversight to root out corruption and misconduct, and that clear, decisive action must be taken against “bad apples” within the police force responsible for the security failure.
In response to widespread criticism, Monorath confirmed that a full criminal investigation was launched immediately after the theft was discovered. He noted that he is withholding many details of the ongoing probe to protect investigative integrity, but pledged that every possible resource is being deployed to uncover how the theft was able to happen on police-owned territory, and to recover the stolen mercury.