PHILIPSBURG:--- The Council of Ministers took a unanimous decision on Tuesday and drafted a decree to establish a committee that will be tasked with conducting what they termed as a sweeping investigation within the Government of St. Maarten. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson made the announcement at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing on Wednesday.
Minister Richardson said the draft national decree on the integrity of the Government of St. Maarten was sent to the Governor of St. Maarten to be signed off. The decree was sent to Governor Holiday on Tuesday for his signature. Before that happens he is not in a position to release the document to members of the media for their perusal.
Three persons within the community of St. Maarten have been selected to be on the committee, they are President of the Constitutional Court Judge Jacob de Wit, Former Director of the Windward Islands Bank Jan Beaujon, and Member of the CFT and well known attorney Richard Gibson Sr.
Minister Richardson told reporters that the three persons have also been tasked with finding three persons from the Netherlands to complete the committee that has to do a much broader and deeper investigation than the Royal Decree that was handed down by the Kingdom Council of Ministers on September 27th, 2013.
The Minister of Justice explained that St. Maarten needs an investigation on integrity to take place because the country's image has been tarnished and if there is evidence of corruption or any other thing that would breach the integrity of the country then it will have to be dealt with and if there is none then the rumors and allegations of corruption would have to be placed where they belong. He said the Government of St. Maarten decided to form this committee which would involve people from the Netherlands because they chose to contest the legality of the Royal Decree. Minister Richardson further explained that if the Government of St. Maarten did not take the initiative to show they too want to know what is happening in their country then that would not sit well with the people of St. Maarten as well as the Netherlands. Another aspect is to show the Kingdom Council of State that the case they presented to them is serious. Minister Richardson said that just in case the Kingdom Council rules in favor of St. Maarten then there will be no investigation. However, on the other hand, St. Maarten wants an integrity investigation to be conducted because the perception of corruption in government is rampant and that needs to be addressed, "facts have to be established and dealt with, while fiction has to be sent to the world of magical fiction."
He explained that the investigation that will be commissioned by the committee established by government will touch on every sector of government to ensure that they obtain the information they would need while conducting their investigation. Minister Richardson further explained that the integrity investigation commissioned by the Government of St. Maarten will be an independent investigation which will be conducted by people that are known to be independent people of St. Maarten.
One of the concerns that government has is if the members of this committee will find people from the Netherlands knowing that St. Maarten contested the Royal Decree that was handed down by the Kingdom Council of Ministers. The Government of St. Maarten will be looking for two persons of repute from the Netherlands. These two persons would need to have a high level of integrity as well as be independent. He said if it is not possible for St. Maarten to find such people in the Netherlands then they will go internationally to find the persons they need to conduct the investigation.
Task Force Established for Financial Measures.
The Government of St. Maarten also established a task force to address financial measures on St. Maarten. Their task is to do an inventory within government, establish where they could further cut cost, and find ways to increase revenues for the 2014 budget and the following years.
Shanty Town Fire cannot be Tolerated Any Longer --- Minister of Justice.
Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson also addressed the shanty town fire that left many persons homeless early Sunday morning in the Cole Bay area. He said that government is tired of these types of situations and measures are now being taken to eliminate these shanty towns.
A task force to handle this matter was also established and the Ministry of VROMI will ensure that no further expansion of shanty towns takes place on the island. The task force will also come up with short term, mid-term, and long term measures to eliminate these shanty towns as soon as possible.
The Minister of Justice said that while he made the announcement quickly, finding solutions are not as easy as it sounds because government is dealing with people therefore they must find solutions for the victims.
Minister of Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever said that while he was not in the newspapers, his Ministry was very busy registering people (victims of the fire). So far, he estimated the amount of people that suffered through the fire exceed 100. Registrations were done in phases and priority was given to children. Minister de Weever said that most of the victims of the fire found places to live. He said that the Department of VSA is working with Red Cross, Census Office, Labor Affairs and other persons who are consistently working with them to assist these persons.
DECREE GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION INTEGRITY & CORRUPTION
During the weekly press briefing today, October 16, 2013, the Minister of Justice, Mr. Dennis L. Richardson, informed the press of the nature of the intended investigation on integrity and corruption in the public sector by the government of Sint Maarten.
This was done in view of the fact that the Council of Ministers in its meeting of Tuesday, October 15, 2013, established a decree initiating such an investigation by an independent committee. In view of the fact that the draft decree has been sent to the Governor of Sint Maarten for consultation (given that the established Kingdom Decree instructs the Governor to commission an investigation as well) the draft decree of the government has not been published as yet, but it is deemed necessary to give the general public insight in some important aspects of the investigation intended by the government of Sint Maarten.
In the interest of accurate reporting by the media the mentioned aspects are hereby presented in writing.
- There is an independent committee of inquiry that will consist of a maximum of six (6) members.
- The Commission is referred to as "Integrity Committee Public Administration" (further here: the committee).
- The initiating members of the committee are:
(a). Mr. Jacob de Wit
(b). Mr. Jan Beaujon
(c). Mr. Richard Gibson Sr. - The committee has the authority to and is charged with the recruitment of an additional three (3) reputable independent members from one or more of the other countries of the Kingdom and/or from reputable international organizations. The committee will submit its recommendations for the appointment of the additional members to the Prime Minister.
- The assignment of the committee is as follows:
The committee is charged with the investigation, reporting on and making of recommendations with regards to the proper functioning and the integrity of the public administration (government) of St. Maarten and the necessary guarantees in that respect. To that end the committee shall examine, amongst other things, the functioning of the various sectors of government, identify the sectors that are particularly vulnerable to corruptive influences and the methods that might be used for that purpose. Furthermore the committee shall investigate whether or not and if so, to which extent corruption exists in the public administration (political, qua policies and, administratively) and shall charter any relationship patterns in the government administration with organizations and/or individuals outside of government that facilitate corruption and or the breach of integrity. The committee shall review and assess existing measures to guarantee integrity and prevent corruption. The committee will report on its findings and make recommendations regarding detected shortcomings, weaknesses and bottlenecks for ensuring the integrity and soundness of government and for combating corruption and violations of its integrity. - The committee shall present an interim report within 3 months and a final report within six months of the publication of the decree.
Dennis L. Richardson, a.i. Prime Minister
Minister of Justice of Sint Maarten.