WILLEMSTAD - Attorney Dennis Evertsz has filed a lawsuit against the Social Insurance Bank (SVB), demanding that the AOV pensions be indexed and that the institution release confidential documents related to the issue. The SVB has reportedly failed to respond to his requests for months.

Evertsz argues that the SVB is legally obligated to issue a decision within a reasonable period — a deadline that, according to him, has long passed. At the end of August, the SVB allegedly promised by phone to respond within two weeks, but no reply ever came.

The attorney is now asking the court to compel the SVB to make a formal decision. Should the bank refuse, Evertsz requests that it be fined 500 guilders per day, up to a maximum of 15,000 guilders.

AOV Pension Should Rise to 1,055 Guilders

The main dispute centers on the long-delayed AOV pension indexation. Evertsz contends that the adjustment should have taken effect as early as 2016 — not in 2022, as the SVB claims. He bases his argument on the economic growth rate of 0.05 percent recorded in 2015, which, if applied, would increase the AOV pension to 1,055.79 guilders per month.

He also rejects the SVB’s claim that the issue is time-barred. According to Evertsz, there can be no statute of limitations because no formal decision on indexation has ever been made. Therefore, he insists that the adjustment should apply retroactively from the date his client first became eligible for the pension — before April 2022.

SVB Keeps Key Documents Secret

A second legal issue concerns the SVB’s refusal to disclose internal documents related to the revision of the AOV indexation formula. The SVB maintains that these materials fall under “internal deliberation” and that releasing them could harm the country’s financial interests.

Evertsz finds this reasoning unacceptable. “On one hand, there is talk of a national dialogue on AOV reform, yet at the same time, relevant documents on that very subject are being withheld,” he said. The lawyer also criticized the SVB for drafting a new legislative proposal but refusing to share it. “Minister Silvania has publicly stated that the document is available,” Evertsz noted. “Why all the secrecy?”

The case underscores growing tension over transparency and pension reform in Curaçao, where many retirees have long awaited clarity on long-promised AOV adjustments.