The – then still – MP is consoled by his dad after the first court case, with life partner Cicely van der Dijs in foreground.
WILLEMSTAD--His father was among a few hundred persons who accompanied former Curaçao Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte to prison to serve his three-year sentence on Wednesday. Hendrik Schotte said his son is the victim of political persecution and vowed to fight on.
While the MFK-leader will only be behind bars 18 months if he qualifies for the customary early release after serving two-thirds of the term and is also allowed the requested maximum six-month electronic detention period at home with an ankle bracelet, he may not participate in any parliamentary for five years.
Schotte was convicted for bribery, forgery and money laundering both in the Court of First Instance and in appeal when the sentence was recently maintained by the High Court in The Hague to become irrevocable and he also lost his seat in Parliament.
At the time, the court found that Schotte had taken money from Italian St. Maarten casino boss Francesco Corallo. The money was used for an election campaign of the party founded by Schotte “Movementu Futuro Kòrsou” (MFK).
For Hendrik Schotte it was a sad day. “My son fought for justice without any weapon. Even his words were full of respect towards his opponents. Now that he is in prison his back bench can continue with his fight.”
“He created his party to fight for democracy and more autonomy. Gerrit never spoke with other colleagues about independence but about more democracy for the island,” said Schotte’s dad during the march from the nearby Koraal Specht church up the hill to the nearby penitentiary.
According to Schotte Sr., the former Netherlands Antilles had more democracy than what Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten have now.
He maintains that what is happening with his son is political persecution. “He has done nothing. He has presented all the papers, all the evidence, everything they have asked for and he was still sent to prison.”
The next step is taking Schotte’s case to the European Court of Human Rights, but his dad thinks that a ruling might take up to three years. “I hope it happens sooner, but I don’t believe it. They have too many cases to take care of there.”
Schotte Sr. will now put more energy in his son’s party and “fight against the oppressors.”
