With this decision, one can conclude that practically Gino Winklaar’s career in justice has come to an end. His engagement with his partner, being a suspect, led the Aruba Security Service (VdA) to provide negative advice and refuse to grant him a “good character” or honest , upright, and incorruptible status. And just like any appointment for vital positions in the government, if you are not of good character, you cannot hold the position.
It is not a new development; it happened some weeks ago. Since he was transferred from the KIA to the Guarda nos Costa, a request was made for an integrity investigation to appoint him. VdA informed Minister Rocco Tjon that he is the second police officer, after Richard Kramers, who is not fit for the position. Although it must be said that Kramers won twice against VdA in court, “winning” on his integrity, and forced VdA to issue a good character status for Richard Kramers, whether Minister Rocco Tjon likes it or not.
The challenge now is that, in Gino Winklaar’s case, he cannot go back to the KIA either. Because it is the same justice system that requires a good character status to hold this position. The question is whether he can return to his position as a high police inspector, because not always does VdA request an integrity investigation for all police officers, but rather for commissioners. But there could also be a disciplinary investigation that could leave him unemployed.
The other option is, similar to what Richard Kramers did, if Winklaar is confident in his integrity, to defend himself before the court. There is a special court to handle cases from the security department. Three people judge the case, a judge, the President of the Aruba Court, and the President of the Aruba Parliament.
About Gino Winklaar:
Gino Winklaar joined the Aruba Police Force on July 1, 2000, and later went to study in the Netherlands for the position of inspector. Back in Aruba, he worked in various roles, including as a Project Leader and Deputy Head in the Research Cooperation Team (RST) for 5 years. There, he led various significant cases and investigations, involving crimes that crossed the borders of the Dutch Kingdom and sometimes even other countries around the world.
Since May 14, 2018, he held the position of “District Chief” in San Nicolas, where his task was to oversee the daily operations of the entire district, including uniformed police, detectives, administrative staff, and special departments working from the San Nicolas Police Station.
Minister Andin Bikker announced in June 2019 that Gino Winklaar would be the director of KIA, after two years of Sergio Quant temporarily managing KIA when Rocco Tjon retired to become a parliamentarian. In May 2021, a month before the elections, Minister Andin Bikker officially appointed Gino Winklaar through a national decree (Landsbesluit). At that time, the minister had words of praise for Winklaar’s work and announced a list of achievements he had accomplished, even surpassing those of Rocco Tjon during his tenure.
In 2023, just two years after his official appointment, Minister Rocco Tjon decided to transfer him to the Guarda nos Costa and installed a management team at the helm of KIA. A few months later, the Aruba Security Service (VdA) screened Gino Winklaar for his integrity and concluded that he was not of good character. They chose not to suspend or prohibit him from entering Guarda nos Costa buildings but opted to send him on “mandatory vacation.” However, with negative advice from VdA, the chances of him returning to a justice department position became impossible.
