Curaçao Finance Ministry probes €4 million payments to former MGA chief’s firm

Curaçao’s finance ministry has opened an investigation into Random Consulting Limited (RCL), a consultancy run by former Malta Gaming Authority chief executive Mario Galea. Officials say RCL received annual payments of 8.3 million Caribbean guilders (about €4.1 million), which finance minister Charles Cooper described as unusually high and amounting to over 35 % of the island’s online gambling revenue.

RCL disputes the figures, claiming it was paid a lower amount and that the contract details are confidential. The probe comes amid political turbulence in Curaçao’s gambling sector following the resignation of former finance minister Javier Silvania in 2021 over a separate corruption scandal and ongoing disagreements between the ministries of finance and justice over regulatory oversight. Parliament member Suzanne Camelia‑Römer has voiced support for the investigation. The outcome could influence future reforms of the island’s gambling regulatory framework.