Who sets criteria for screening process?
PHILIPSBURG:--- Questions are being raised by many persons especially relatives of incoming Ministers that had to go through the screening process that is done by VDSM and the Prosecutor’s Office.
Some persons that contacted SMN News stated that the Prosecutor’s Office acts swiftly when it comes to the screening of persons whose name were submitted recently to become Ministers. Actually they said that each time persons names were given for screening the process goes very quickly by the Prosecutor’s office but when it comes to VDSM they said that those persons working at VDSM seems to have their own agenda and it appears as though they are not acting independently but serves certain politicians. Besides that they said there is no set criteria for the screening process and if there is any it should be made public and the people of St. Maarten needs to know who sets these criteria’s.
Some of the most recent candidates stated that while they wanted to submit every single thing VDSM asks for they said that VDSM asks for information and or documents several times. “It’s not like they have a list of documents or requirements for candidates to submit all at once. One candidate said he received an email at midnight one night where VDSM is asking for additional documents which they could have asked for from day one.
Others said VDSM is now looking in peoples private lives, such as succession, and civil cases and they demand documents on private matters which are not criminal. Not only that they asked for these documents, they ask for it when they feel like in order to delay the screening process.
SMN News also learnt that while VDSM is supposed to report to the Prime Minister, at least one of the persons working at VDSM got very close with the former Prime Minister, while another one they accused of leaking information to the Kingdom, rather than reporting to the Prime Minister and or Prosecutor’s Office. The allegation of leaking information to the Kingdom has been rumored for quite some time now but to date no one in government ever investigated the allegations.
“Right now we have one candidate that is going through hell because VDSM chose to go into this person’s life based on what they hear on the street. Last year at least two Ministers that had huge skeletons’ in their closets passed the screening because those at VDSM are friends with certain politicians. At least one former Minister was taken to court for theft, while the same Minister had to change jobs because it is alleged that this former Minister had sticky fingers, while the other one had several areas that needed to be questioned, yet those Ministers passed the screening like a breeze. I would like to know if the screening is done based on which political party the candidates came from or based on which Member of Parliament appoints them.” If VDSM is looking into civil matters then they had to check the courts to see which candidate Minister was taken to court and for what and by whom?
Besides that the persons that spoke out against what they describe as wrong and bias, they also spoke of the criminal complaint filed against a candidate Minister. “As far as I am concerned the prosecutor’s office need to act swiftly on this matter, those that file the complaint needs to provide evidence of the accusation, they just cannot say they suspect someone, they need to provide the proof if not they should be held accountable for trying to blemish another person, while trying their best to hold up the swearing in of the new Ministers. As a citizen of this country I am calling on the Prosecutor’s office to do their jobs and not hold up this so-called investigation for the next four or five years like they did with the other cases such as the Buncampers, the Labega/Dest and other cases. I am also calling on newly sworn in Prime Minister William Marlin to look into what goes on at VDSM and have them investigated.