Philipsburg:--- Detectives from the Landsrecherche arrested Major Michelangelo R. Sirvania who returned to work on Monday after being on sick leave for about six months to one year.
Attorney General Taco Stein told SMN News that the cases against Sirvania date back to 2011 but it was not one of the cases the Landsrecherche have on their priority list. Stein said Sirvania committed fraud when he bought at least two sets of airline tickets, while there was another case of assault against officer Sirvania. Stein refused to say where and by what means the officer in question purchased the tickets.
SMN News learnt from well placed sources that the tickets were purchased at Let's Travel with bounced checks to travel to Canada on West Jet Airlines. The source said that Sirvania bought tickets for a group of people with the bounced checks involving another airline.
Stein further explained that the suspected officer forced the Landsrecherche into action on Monday when he showed up for work because they did not want him back on the job. SMN News asked Stein if the officer in question was suspected of committing fraud twice and if there is a pending case of assault against him, why the Landsrecherche did not arrest him while he was on so called sick leave in Curacao. Stein said that the case was not a priority for the investigators who have lots of cases piled up on their desks, therefore they could not act before. "We did not want Sirvania back on the job but when he showed up for work on Monday he forced the Landsrecherche into action." SMN News asked Stein if the police management or former Minister of Justice notified the officer or placed him on suspension since there was a criminal investigation against him. Stein said he could not answer those questions because he does not know what the KPSM management and the former Minister of Justice did on the matter.
Sirvania obtained training with the Miami Dade Police Academy to be one of the community police (CPO) where he graduated but functioned for a very short period as a CPO in the Philipsburg area.
It is understood that when it became clear that Sirvania was a suspect in two sets of crimes he was removed from his position and it was then he took sick leave and left for Curacao. SMN News further learnt that Major Sirvania was trying to secure work in Curacao but for some reason he was not successful. "Sirvania wanted a transfer from KPSM to work for the Korps in Curacao but the system does not work like that. He had to leave his job on St. Maarten and then he could have applied for a job in Curacao." According to a well placed source, Curacao contacted St. Maarten and informed them that Sirvania was seeking employment with them and at no time did St. Maarten notify Curacao that Sirvania was suspected of fraud and assault and they should arrest him.
In an invited comment, Chief of Police Peter de Witte said when the airline filed a complaint against Major Sirvania he asked the Landsrecherche to conduct the investigation. De Witte said that the Landsrecherche is the one that conducted the investigation and he does not know why they did not place much priority on the investigation that involves a police officer. De Witte further stated that as soon as Sirvania was arrested on Monday he was suspended from KPSM.
