Vote-buying investigation conducted in St. Maarten

November 12, 2014 9:22 AM
THE HAGUE--A criminal investigation has started into vote-buying fraud during the recent Parliamentary elections in St. Maarten, Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations informed the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday.
 
The Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations had asked Plasterk for a clarification regarding the suspicions that "certain politicians" had committed vote fraud in the period leading up to the elections in August this year.
 
"I can confirm that from the side of Justice an investigation is indeed being carried out into vote fraud during the last elections. The National Detectives confirm that an investigation is taking place. However, no information is being given on its content by the Prosecutor's Office," stated Plasterk.
In his letter, the minister also addressed the political developments in St. Maarten, the instructions that St. Maarten received in September 2013 and October 2014 relating to integrity and the formation process of a new government.
 
Plasterk was critical that St. Maarten had not indicated as yet what action it would take and when this would take place based on the recommendations of the two separate integrity reports of the Wit-Samson Committee and the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit team, supported by the Oosting Committee.
According to the minister, the Dutch Government had offered St. Maarten assistance in carrying out the recommendations of these reports because the Kingdom Council of Ministers "doubted whether St. Maarten was able to do so on its own due to its small scale and the size and significance of the problem."
 
"Unfortunately, we have not been informed what action the St. Maarten Government is concretely taking, when the first results can be expected and what timeframe is being planned. The Kingdom Government deplores this and is of the opinion that the St. Maarten Government cannot afford a wait-and-see-attitude due to the gravity and size of the problem," he stated.
Plasterk stated that, contrary to the conviction of the St. Maarten Government, the second, October 17, 2014, instruction, ordering an in-depth screening of the candidate ministers of the new government in Philipsburg through the Governor, did not "put aside, defer or disable" the regulation of Country St. Maarten.
 
"To the contrary, the Royal Decree makes an extended screening possible by making technical assistance available to the Governor," stated the minister. He remarked that cooperation with the screening audit was of "crucial importance" and that refusal would result in "no other finding" than that the person in question could not be appointed.
 
The Kingdom Relations Committee will discuss the recent St. Maarten instruction with Plasterk in a general debate today, Wednesday.
 
The Daily Herald
 

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