PHILIPSBURG--The Council of Ministers approved the organisational structure for an Integrity Project Bureau. The recommendation to install a work group tasked with the implementation of the various integrity reports was handled in two meetings of the ministers held between October 31 and November 13.

 

This workgroup, now established as a project bureau, consists of the Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, the Secretary General of the Ministry of General Affairs and is led by the Acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice and supported by the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.

 

The preparatory meetings of the project bureau have been ongoing since October 2014, and the plan of approach is being further detailed. For effectiveness, the recommendations of the reports were categorised into six priority areas. Each priority area will be headed by a project leader for the actual execution and drafting of policies, laws and other products needed according to the recommendations. The categories are defined as Legislation, Integrity Chamber, Public Relations/Communications, Human Resource Management, Governance Development, and the Maintenance of Law, Order and Governance.

 

The initial time schedule for the implementation of the integrity measures covers a period of nearly two years, in which phase one concerns implementation activities determined for the period until the January 2014, phase two: between January 2015 and July 2015, and the third phase from July 2015 until the middle 2016, whereby new legislation is the most time consuming factor. This planning is being further detailed at the moment.

 

Independent Oversight

 

In addition, an independent oversight committee has been established to monitor the progress and to ensure that the plan of approach meets the required deadlines. The government is in the process of approaching high profile persons both on a local level and abroad to sit on this committee.

Already President of the Constitutional Court Judge Jacob Wit and Advisory Council members Jan Beaujon have agreed to serve on the oversight committee. A third candidate in the Netherlands is being approached.

 

Integrity Controller

 

High priority for the Council is also the establishment of an integrity chamber. Awaiting the necessary legislation, an independent person meeting high standard qualifications will be appointed as Integrity Controller ("Toezichthouder Integriteit"). The main responsibility is reporting directly to the Council of Ministers as a body on integrity breaches, recommended sanctions and remedies. Finalization of this appointment will occur within short.

 

Integrity Weekly Topic

 

On a weekly basis the Council of Ministers will be discussing the topic State of Affairs Integrity and its progress to be based also on reporting of the Project Bureau Integrity, the Integrity Controller and the Oversight Committee Integrity.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

The Council also decided to give follow-up to the recommendation to avoid a possible conflict of interest by ministers, by addressing this matter at the onset of every Council of Ministers meeting. Ministers will have to state if there is any conflict of interest with matters to be discussed and/or decided on in the meeting.

 

In the event that such is the case the chairperson will see to it that there will be no participation in the decision-making process on that topic or topics by the respective minister or ministers.

 

Heightened Security

 

The Minister of Justice has taken measures and is taking more measures to heighten the security at the airport and harbours to prevent abuse of these critical infrastructures by criminal elements.

 

A project organisation is being put in place to coordinate the efforts in this regard between all law enforcement agencies. The port authorities are being requested to participate.

 

Prosecutor's Office

 

Permission has been granted to the Public Prosecutor's Office to expand its support staff with two "parket secretarissen." Also, the National Detective Service has permission to expand the organisation with four full-time detectives/specialists this year; however, recruitments will take time.

Furthermore, the Prosecutor's Office will appoint one of the five prosecutors as coordinator for the investigations by the National Detective Service, who will then be able to help give content for the implementation of the recommendation to execute an anti-corruption campaign.

 

Netherlands' input

 

Reacting on Thursday, November 13, to a last communicated offer of the Netherlands to be allowed to provide input to St. Maarten's plan of approach on integrity, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson stated that the Council of Ministers is receptive to any constructive offers of support to St. Maarten as an autonomous country in addressing integrity matters.

 

However, as St. Maarten has been accused (albeit wrongly) of "doing too little too late" and "being not aware of the urgency of the matter" too much is momentarily at stake to permit a possible delay, he added.

 

Pending receipt of a concrete written offer and/or suggestions from the Netherlands, therefore, the trajectory to improve integrity and to fight integrity breaches and corruption as set out by government continues.

 

The Daily Herald