WILLEMSTAD--Girobank placed an attachment on the bank account of Dutch Antilles Express (DAE). The commercial bank reportedly invested 30 million guilders in the troubled Curaçao airline.

 

DAE consultant Nelson Ramiz informed personnel of the lien in a memo. Apparently it is regarding the company's account with RBC. The memo says DAE suffered damages totalling US $16 million because of the decision by Venezuela's aviation authority INAC to stop the local carrier's flights to the neighbouring country, while Venezuela's foreign exchange agency CADIVI had frozen the receipts from prior ticket sales there.

 

Ramiz said the attachment makes it necessary to discuss the future with suppliers and financiers that have up to now supported the airline, including development bank Korpodeko.

 

At the end of last week attorney David Kock of law firm David Kock Legal had sent a letter to other Dutch Caribbean law firms asking if any more creditors would support a bankruptcy request for DAE. However, according to Kock, an arrangement was since made with the airline on behalf of his client.

 

He would not say whether this client is Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) SXM, which recently stated it could no longer do business with DAE because of the latter's failure to meet earlier commitments on the payment of its debt to SXM Airport.