FIOD INVESTIGATES A NUMBER OF COMPANIES ON BONAIRE FOR NON-COMPLIANCE WITH TAX LAWS
Under the direction of the Public Prosecutor’s Office BES, the FIOD, the investigative body of the Tax Authority, also for the Dutch Caribbean, is carrying out criminal investigations on Bonaire on account of non-compliance with the BES tax legislation by a number of companies. These investigations were instituted following an analysis of the tax returns by the Dutch Caribbean Tax Authority. From that analysis it appeared that too little tax was paid and that the obligation to provide information and the obligation to keep records was not met.
Last week, under the leadership of the Public Prosecutor, and in cooperation with the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (KPCN) and the Royal Netherlands Military Police (KMar), various searches were conducted in Kralendijk at the businesses in question. A search was also conducted in the Netherlands at the home of a director of one of the companies. During the searches, records, computers and other data carriers were seized. In the past week, several suspects and witnesses were heard by investigators of the FIOD. These investigators came over from the Netherlands for these searches and hearings. The investigation is in full swing.
In due course, the BES Public Prosecutor's Office will take a decision on the matter. These criminal investigations could perhaps have been avoided if the companies and those responsible within those companies had timely and correctly complied with questions and requests of the Dutch Caribbean Tax Authority.