After hours of procedural delays, extended adjournments and last-minute negotiations, Suriname’s National Assembly (DNA) has formally approved holding a public plenary session to debate the Prosecutor General’s motions against three former senior political office holders, bringing a days-long parliamentary standoff to a temporary resolution. The green light for the public hearing came only after the parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing the motions finally tabled its final report, a step that was thrown into doubt earlier the same day.
When the assembly convened for an internal procedural meeting on Wednesday, committee chair Rabin Parmessar initially told lawmakers he could not deliver the committee’s final report. The announcement triggered immediate heated debate across the chamber, with multiple assembly members stressing that the full National Assembly holds the ultimate authority to decide whether to proceed with a public hearing. Following closed-door consultations and a lengthy adjournment, the committee ultimately submitted its report, clearing the way for the assembly to vote to advance the debate to an open public session.
The Prosecutor General’s motions relate to three former cabinet members: Riad Nurmohamed, ex-Minister of Public Works, Gillmore Hoefdraad, former Minister of Finance, and Bronto Somohardjo, ex-Minister of Home Affairs. The assembly is required to vote on requests connected to a potential impeachment and formal indictment of the three former officials, a process that carries significant weight for Suriname’s ongoing efforts to address alleged past official misconduct.
Procedural tensions emerged even before the internal meeting got underway, centered on the requirement to establish a quorum to validate proceedings. Initially, the parliamentary factions of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Pertjajah Luhur (PL) declined to sign the attendance register, a move that put the meeting’s validity at risk. It was only after it was confirmed that a sufficient quorum had already been reached through the attendance of lawmakers from the VHP, NPS, ABOP, BEP and A20 parties that the NDP faction agreed to add their signatures to the register.
The entire process is playing out against a strict legal deadline that binds the National Assembly to reach a final decision no later than June 9, leaving lawmakers just days to complete their debate and vote on the next steps for the three former ministers.