Philipsburg:--- The owner of Bada Bing strip club Jaap van den Heuvel was questioned by the detectives of the Landsrecherche on Thursday confirmed Attorney General Taco Stein. Stein said van den Heuvel was heard as a witness (suspect) and he was not detained by the detectives. Stein did not rule out the possibility that van den Heuvel will be arrested at a later date.
The strip club owner came under the radar when De Telegraaf of the Netherlands released a news article on March 7th, 2013 claiming that he (van den Heuvel) bribed Independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge which he recorded. The tape was subsequently released by a local newspaper showing van den Heuvel giving Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge $15,000.00. Later van den Heuvel told his lawyer Cor Merx via an email which was forwarded to Illidge that he was paying back a loan to Illidge which he borrowed during his divorce procedures in 2010. That email was made available to SMN News. Van den Heuvel also told Merx in the same email that the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger asked him to tape Patrick Illidge whenever he was repaying him so that he (Heyliger) could use the tape as blackmail to break the current coalition government. While the tape and the news articles only surfaced in March 2013 at least one former Minister who was appointed by the United Peoples Party spoke about the tape late last year on a radio program. It is also alleged that other politicians including the Prime Minister knew of the tape prior to its release in the media.
So far the detectives have questioned a number of people including Minister of Justice Roland Duncan, Minister of TEATT Romeo Pantophlet, and former Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger.
SMN News also learned that Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge was also heard as a witness on Thursday, Stein at first confirmed Illidge was also heard as a witness but he quickly changed his statements and said that it was only van den Heuvel that was heard and not MP Illidge. SMN News managed to confirm that MP Patrick Illidge was also interrogated on Thursday in the ongoing ORCA investigation. While the main focus of the investigation is about the alleged bribe van den Heuvel paid MP Illidge for favors such as extending working permits for prostitutes and another business license, the illegal and unlicensed firearm that was found in the MPs house is also part of the investigation.
The investigators are also trying to obtain information as to who sold Illidge the firearm and how the illegal weapon was shipped from Miami to St. Maarten.
On Friday morning the Spokesman for the Attorney General Norman Serphos sent an email to the various media houses stating that:
"A press release was issued Thursday evening by the Public Prosecutor's Office Sint Maarten. Due to problems with the e-mail server this might have not reached you."
The content of the press release which was also sent by Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos on Friday morning reads:
JAAP VAN DEN HEUVEL QUESTIONED IN 'ORCA' INVESTIGATION
On Thursday, Bada Bing's Jaap van den Heuvel was questioned by the National Detective's Agency.
Van den Heuvel was questioned as a suspect in relation to the footage on which van den Heuvel was seen handing over money to member of Parliament Patrick Illidge.
Van den Heuvel was given the opportunity to give his side of the story. He was not arrested.
The investigation continues.
Press Release from Prosecutor's Office
Mos ended his email by saying that in the interest of the investigation no more information will be released at this time.
Prosecutor's Office issued second press release in the ORCA investigation. The press release which was issued by Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp states that Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge was heard on Friday as a suspect in the ongoing investigation. The press release reads as follows:
MP PATRICK ILLIDGE QUESTIONED IN 'ORCA' INVESTIGATION.
On Friday, member of Parliament Patrick Illidge was questioned by the National Detective's Agency.
MP Illidge, like Jaap van den Heuvel yesterday, was questioned as a suspect in relation to the footage on which van den Heuvel was seen handing over money to him.
After van den Heuvel gave his statement on the facts that were visible on the video footage, today Patrick Illidge was given the opportunity to give his side of the story. Like van den Heuvel he was not arrested.
Both statements, after comparison, give sufficient grounds for further investigation.
The investigation continues.
Press Release from Prosecutor's Office