Extra assistance for St. Maarten Justice

December 13, 2013 8:59 AM
THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten has pledged assistance to St. Maarten for the local Prosecutor's Office and the National Detectives.
 
St. Maarten Justice Minister Dennis Richardson met with Opstelten in The Hague earlier this week. During this meeting, Richardson indicated that he needed assistance for the investigations carried out by the Prosecutor's Office and the National Detectives.
 
The Prosecutor's Office needs two assistants to the prosecutors, so-called "parket secetarissen," while the National Detectives unit needs two additional detectives. Opstelten has pledged assistance, said Richardson.
 
"This is the cooperation that we need and that we are looking for," said Richardson. St. Maarten and the Netherlands already work together in the area of justice. The Royal Dutch Marechaussee and the Kingdom Detective Team RST are good examples of this.
 
However, it has to be a cooperation based on equality, said Richardson. "It needs to be a true cooperation and not domination by the Netherlands. The cooperation should be an addition and provide support where necessary," he said.
 
While in the Netherlands, Richardson also met with Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk. The integrity audit, ordered by the Kingdom Council of Ministers, and St. Maarten's own integrity audit were discussed.
 
The two committees that have been installed to carry out the audits might very well be working together, Richardson disclosed. This would not only save time, but also money, as no double work would have to be done by the two committees that basically investigate the same matter, namely, the level of integrity and functioning of St. Maarten's public administration.
 
Richardson said he urged Minister Plasterk not to use the September 30, 2013, Royal Decree that instructs St. Maarten Governor Eugene Holiday to carry out an integrity audit to intervene or take measures after the audit has been completed.
 
According to Richardson, the Kingdom Council of Ministers would have to use article 51 of the Kingdom Charter to issue a General Measure of the Kingdom Government (Algemene Maatregel van Rijksbestuur) if they deem it necessary to take measures. "They will have to use article 51 and not the Royal Decree," he said.
 
The charter provides the possibility for an individual country to protest against a decision of the Kingdom Government. The Royal Decree does not. Both integrity audits have a six-month term to report on their findings.

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