When to expect a final ruling come in the Flamingo case? Earlier cases offer a clue

ORANJESTAD — Otmar Oduber could face a wait until the first half of 2028 for a Dutch Supreme Court ruling on his cassation appeal. That estimate comes from comparing the cases of former ministers Paul Croes and Benny Sevinger, which took approximately 16 and 21 months. The court has not announced an official ruling date.

On September 22, 2026, Oduber announced he would seek cassation against the Court of Appeal’s September 17 judgment, which sentenced him to two years in prison and barred him from public office and standing for election for five years. The announcement does not establish the exact date his appeal was formally filed.

In the Ibis case, Paul Croes filed his cassation appeal on October 21, 2021. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction on February 7, 2023: 474 days later, or one year, three months and 17 days. The filing date appears in the advocate general’s advisory opinion.

In the Avestruz case, Caribisch Netwerk reported on July 15, 2024, that Benny Sevinger’s lawyer would file for cassation that day. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal on April 14, 2026. The interval from the reported filing date was 638 days, almost one year and nine months. The exact formal filing date was not independently confirmed in this research.

Using Oduber’s September 22 announcement as a provisional starting point, a timeline similar to Croes’s would point to January 2028. One similar to Sevinger’s would point to June 2028. The average of the two periods places a possible ruling around April 2028.

The comparison provides an indication, not a guarantee. Two previous cases cannot determine how long the Supreme Court will need to consider Oduber’s appeal.

A cassation ruling also does not necessarily end the case. If the Supreme Court rejects the appeal, the conviction becomes final through the ordinary appeal process. If it overturns the judgment and sends the case back for reconsideration, proceedings could continue beyond 2028.