PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson expressed his frustration and disappointment on Tuesday during an interview with SMN News about the instruction the Kingdom Council gave to the Governor of St. Maarten. The Justice Minister said that when Prime Minister Rutte visited St. Maarten earlier this year he told the Council of Ministers that he issued an instruction to the Governor of St. Maarten to conduct an integrity investigation. Minister Richardson said when the announcement was made they immediately protested it because in the view of the Council of Ministers the instruction was illegal. He said they had no problem with an investigation but when it comes down to an instruction the Prime Minister would have had to be informed through the Minister of Plenipotentiary. "It was told to us that an instruction was given and we made it clear it was not possible based on the laws in place. We further investigated this and found out that no instruction was given but the Prime Minister of the Netherlands gave that impression while he was on the island." Later, the Prime Minister said he consulted with the Council of Ministers on St. Maarten but that was absolutely not the case. "In the meeting I attended with Prime Minister Rutte he said an instruction was given to the Governor of St. Maarten to conduct the investigation." It should be noted that Prime Minister Mark Rutte also told SMN News reporter on the day he was leaving St. Maarten that he issued an instruction to the governor of St. Maarten to conduct an integrity investigation. The Prime Minister also praised St. Maarten's Prime Minister whom he said agreed to cooperate by using Transparency International in this integrity investigation.
He said while Prime Minister Rutte said he issued an instruction back then, it was not the truth because the KB was only done last week Friday. "What transpired is that Prime Minister Rutte made a statement while visiting the islands and today the Kingdom Council has to do something to maintain the statement they made. Furthermore, the Kingdom is meddling in St. Maarten's business (affairs illegally) the KB issued by the Kingdom Council is illegal and without merit because they used an article that governs the Governor to issue this instruction." Minister Richardson and the Prime Minister of St. Maarten both were in the Netherlands last week where they objected to the instruction and the way in which it was done. Minister Richardson said that St. Maarten even made a proposal to have a committee installed, four of the persons on that committee would have been from the Netherlands to conduct an independent investigation and that too was rejected by the Kingdom Council of Ministers. He said besides that St. Maarten has an agreement with Transparency International, another independent organization that would conduct an integrity investigation.
The Minister of Justice said if the Prime Minister of the Kingdom is going to meddle in the affairs of the island then it would be better if he sends St. Maarten's Independence by mail and stop the meddling because this is not in the interest of St. Maarten as well as the other countries of the Kingdom. Minister Richardson said St. Maarten already requested an advice from the Council of State on this matter and he is of the opinion that the Kingdom Council should wait on the advice that is to be given by the Council of State before they proceed with the instruction.
When asked by SMN News what are the grounds used by the Kingdom to issue the instruction, Minister Richardson said the Kingdom feels that the government of St. Maarten is hindering justice because there are several cases that involve politicians that have to be investigated and they are not moving forward. He said when St. Maarten became a country the Landsrecherche did not even have an office space or manpower to operate and the Kingdom was supposed to assist St. Maarten but they never assisted. Minister Richardson said the investigators at the Landsrecherche are working on all the cases and maybe they are not working fast enough for the Kingdom. Minister Richardson said the Kingdom is also blaming the former Minister of Justice for hindering investigations. He said the moment he took office which is just over 100 days now he asked Attorney General, Prosecutors and everyone else in the Justice Ministry if the former Minister was hindering them from doing their jobs and they all said that was not the case instead former Minister of Justice Roland Duncan assisted them by securing more manpower from Aruba.
Minister Richardson further explained that St. Maarten will not sit back and allow the Kingdom to walk over them instead they will do all in their power to ensure that the constitution of St. Maarten is respected as well as the Governor of St. Maarten. "They placed the Governor in a bad position and we need to protect our Governor because he is a man with integrity who did all in his power to protect his country." The Minister of Justice said that the Governor of St. Maarten has nothing to do with the running of the country. His only role is to co-sign documents that are signed off by the Ministers. He further explained that if the Kingdom gets way with this then St. Maarten is back to colonial times.