The Undercover Operation to Make Bitcoin Legal Tender in Suriname

Last year, Maya Parbhoe quickly became well-known in the international Bitcoin community as she presented herself to the world as a presidential candidate in her country, Suriname.

Last year, Maya Parbhoe quickly became well-known in the international Bitcoin community as she presented herself to the world as a presidential candidate in her country, Suriname, who vowed to fight corruption in a country rife with it and to make bitcoin legal tender in Suriname to help get the country’s citizens out of financial “survival mode.”

Parbhoe’s story as an underdog candidate quickly gained traction as she made her case for how she could help Suriname as president both online and in person at conferences such as Bitcoin Amsterdam.

Prominent members of the Bitcoin community such as Bitcoin mining analyst and leadership coach Daniel Batten have vouched for Parbhoe in recent months, while Jan3 CEO Samson Mow was the one who encouraged Parbhoe to run for president. I, too, helped bring attention to her candidacy.

However, in recent weeks, some cracks have started to form in Parbhoe’s story.

Reports from those who have visited the country say that the image that Parbhoe has been projecting of herself and her candidacy to the world may be in part an illusion.

These reports claim that Parbhoe has overstated her odds of becoming president of Suriname to the international community and that her political messaging within the country has had little to nothing to do with Bitcoin.

What is more, some reports that are now reaching the international Bitcoin audience also contend that Parbhoe’s candidacy is not well known within Suriname. And while Parbhoe has positioned herself as an advocate for those within her country who are struggling financially, one source told Bitcoin Magazine that she has disdain for the country’s poor.

On top of that, reported intel from the U.S. government estimates that Parbhoe may be running as “controlled opposition,” a political figure who serves as a placeholder for those that they purport to be against. According to Bitcoin Magazine’s source, the same reported intel states Parbhoe’s father was knowingly in business with drug traffickers and money launderers and that there’s also a chance that the bank accounts for Parbhoe’s companies are being used to launder money.

Before diving deeper into the latter allegations, it’s first important to understand the depths of corruption in Suriname and how Parbhoe claims to be an antidote to it.

Parbhoe’s Anti-Corruption Political Campaign

According to a 2022 report from the U.S. Department of State, almost every sector of Suriname’s government has been accused of corruption. These sectors include the central bank of Suriname and state-owned companies, including the country’s national airline, Surinam Airways, and the government health insurance company, SZF.

Some of the highest-ranking individuals in the country have also been involved in corruption, as the country’s current vice president has been convicted of drug trafficking and the country’s former president, Dési Bouterse, was convicted of drug trafficking and murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Parbhoe billed herself as an anti-corruption presidential candidate in Suriname’s upcoming elections, which are slated to occur on May 25, 2025.

As part of her messaging, she often mentions how her father was murdered for speaking out against corruption in the country, and she says that she wants to carry on his legacy by speaking out against corruption in Suriname, as well.

The part of this story that Parbhoe has left out as she’s recounted it time and time again, though, is that her father had two Colombian partners in his casino business who he knew were also involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. According to a former senior advisor for Parbhoe’s campaign, Shamay, Parbhoe is aware that her father knew he was in business with these people, as she has told him as much.

Micah Dunford, a retired Green Beret and CEO of Greyscale Protection, a company that Parbhoe contracted to protect her during the beginning of April, when she gave birth to her daughter, informed Bitcoin Magazine that reported intel from the U.S. government states that Parbhoe’s father was knowingly involved with “nefarious actors” and was murdered by “narco terrorists.”

[Author’s note: Dunford would like to make it clear that he only shared the information above as well as other information in this piece about a client of his because he is a Bitcoin enthusiast and feels that Parbhoe is doing a great disservice to the Bitcoin community and to Bitcoin’s reputation.]

When I initially interviewed Parbhoe in July 2024, she offered an account of her father’s business dealings that did not include his knowingly being in business with drug traffickers and money launderers. She stuck to her original story and denied that her father was in business with two Colombian drug traffickers when I recently reached out to her to ask her about the matter.

“My father was in business with Dorsett Resorts,” Par