Philipsburg:--- The Solicitor General of St. Maarten Taco Stein said he is not authorized to speak on cases that are being investigated by the Lands Recherché. SMN News contacted the Solicitor General on several occasions for information regarding at least three cases that are being investigated by this body. Stein said that if media personnel wants information on the cases then they are to contact the public relations officer in Curacao who was hired on May 12th, 2012.Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos has also refused to provide adequate information to the media regarding the infamous Vote Buying Investigation that involves a police officer, two VKS officers, and a civil servant working at the Philipsburg Police Station. The Police Internal Affairs conducted an indepth investigation into the case when four police personnel began a verbal fight because three of the officers got greedy and withheld the monies that were given to them by a political party for one of the four officers. The dossier on the internal investigation conducted by the Police Internal Affairs was turned over to St. Maarten's Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos over two years ago but for some reason the case has been placed on the non priority list even though Attorney General Dick Piar has given the green light to go ahead and investigate.
One of Mos' excuses for not investigating was the lack of personnel and a special investigating unit at the department. The Lands Recherché got six detectives from the Police Department yet not one of the cases they began investigating two years ago have been completed. Mos said the Lands Recherché investigated the cases that relates to two prison escapes and the human smuggling to Tortola where a number of persons lost their lives. He said the report on those cases which came long after the Vote Buying and the Buncamper's case was submitted to Minister of Justice Roland Duncan.
Another case that is sitting on the shelves of the Lands Recherché is the case involving former Minister of Health Maria Buncamper Molanus and her husband Claudius Buncamper who sold the economic rights of government lease land for three million dollars. SMN News has been reliably informed that the Buncamper's lawyers have sent a letter to the Prosecutor's Office requesting information on the status of the investigation. It should be noted that the head of the Lands Recherché Ademar Doran once lived in a house belonging to the Buncamper's and he also took a donation from the Buncamper's for the police band some years ago. It behooves the public of St. Maarten as well as SMN News if Doran can investigate this case in a transparent and honest manner or if there would be need for an independent body to intervene investigate and finally say whether or not the Buncamper's are culpable for any crime and if they will be charged.
The Lands Recherché also started an investigation against the former director of the Tourism Bureau Regina Labega. Detectives from the department searched the Government Administration Building on at least two occasions while the former director of finance Bas Roorda provided Mos with stacks of documents that shows irregularities at the Department of Finance.
SMN News also learnt that the investigators found substantial evidence at a bank in New York that shows that some 1.2 million dollars per year were transferred to an account belonging to DMC (a company where Regina Labega is the sole shareholder) whose bank account is in Anguilla, yet the investigation came to a halt when Mos said some months ago that they do not have the financial experts that are needed to complete the investigation. A source close to the investigation said that when the detectives uncovered the transactions between the New York bank and the one of DMC in Anguilla they invited Labega to their office but she did not cooperate. It is not yet known if the Lands Recherché realized that the SOAB is capable of conducting financial investigations and they are readily available to the office of the Solicitor General and Prosecutor's office.
Due to the reactions SMN News got and the run around to obtain information locally about the three cases that are being investigated by those in authority on St. Maarten we decided to interview the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan on Friday for his views on the pending cases. Minister of Duncan said that two years of waiting is indeed a long period of time and he also believes that there is enough reason for concern.
The Minister explained that he normally keeps his distance from investigations but he does ask the Prosecutor and the Solicitor General for updates. Duncan further stated that even though the Solicitor is bombarded with work, it is time for him to put some pressure on those investigating to do what they need to do regarding the pending cases. Duncan said after two years a preliminary report should be available by now.
