PHILIPSBURG: --- St. Maarten was labelled as the island that gives class justice in the Masbangu investigation, the prosecution has lost almost all the cases they took to court that were investigated by the Landrecherché, the most recent is the one against former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto and Roberto Gibbs who were both acquitted of all charges brought against them. Most recently after years of waiting for justice the prosecution have decided to add a second charge against the Buncampers two weeks before the trial date. Absurd to say the least because the Landsrecherché had this case almost five years, yet the last charge was brought in at the ninth hour.
Speaking about justice is something one has to basically fight for and when they do there is no guarantee that victims will really get the justice they deserve, instead victims are victimized.
A few years ago a veteran detective was and still is suffering from severe victimization when he solved a double homicide that involves the son of detective that was working at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). That detective was denied promotion even though he has the qualifications necessary for certain positions, the prosecutor’s office chose not to work on any case he investigated simply because he has given the relatives of two gas station attendants justice by getting the killer arrested and prosecuted. However, the suspect was the son of a detective that had connections so while his son had to do the time for the crime he committed, the detective in question suffered for doing his job.
One would think that St. Maarten has passed that phase and that all people will be treated equally. SMN News got information that victimization in the justice chain still do exists and officers that work with their heart and soul to give others justice are either suspended, sent home or even victimized by remaining at the bottom of the line.
The most recent case of victimization, is the case involving a young detective (inspector) who was sent home on April 23 2015 by the head of the Landsrecherché Ademar Doran. It is alleged that Doran told his subordinate that he should not report back to work because he is involved in an ongoing murder investigation that involves another police officer.
On May 19th 2015, the detective in question received a letter from the Minister of Justice informing him that he is suspended with pay, as there is an ongoing investigation against him for alleged dereliction of duty.
Upon hearing about this case SMN News reporter have decided to dig deeper to see exactly what is happening at the office of the National Detectives where cases takes years before they are investigated or even taken to court while the main excuse is the department lacks human resources.
In investigating SMN News learnt that the detective in question held a meeting with three members of the management team of the National Detectives and informed them that they were not abiding by their policies and that the work that has to be carried out by that department is stagnated for no apparent reason. This of course did not sit well with those that sits on the high chair and think they are untouchable. Therefore, the department head waited for the right moment to victimize this detective, who is the youngest police inspector on St. Maarten and one that is constantly upgrading his skills and is even a member of the union.
Victimization for telling the truth... will the court ever see the detective statement?
As SMN News did it research it was discovered that the detective in question is a relative of murder victim Ackeem Isidora who was gunned down by a police officer on March 4th 2015, That officer remained a free man for weeks even though the detectives at the Landrecherche knows that he is the one that fired the deadly shots.
SMN News learnt that the mother of slain Isidora contacted the detective after her son was arrested in the vicinity of his home for not having his identification card on him. The detective then contacted the now murder suspect to try and mediate and to find out exactly what was the problem the officer was having with Isidora, however, the officer now murder suspect told him it was nothing personal, instead he was only doing his job.
On the afternoon of March 4th 2015, shortly after 5pm the detective received two phone calls from the officer now murder suspect who told him that he “was going to take out Isidora” because he was messing with his girlfriend. SMN News learnt that the detective spoke to the young officer and even asked him to leave the Belvedere area since he was not living there. He even told him that he was going to visit his relative and put an end to whatever dispute he was having with the officer. At no point did the detective thought that an officer of the law was going to take matters in his own hand and it does not seem as if he knew what ‘taking out” meant at the time but by 7pm that fatal night he received information that the officer who called him earlier fired two shots and killed his relative and third bullet was fired towards his other cousin all from a police service weapon.
As SMN News continues to investigate it turned out that the detective informed two of his colleagues from the Landsrecherche at the crime scene that the victim was his cousin and also informed them about the two phone calls he received from the officer who is now in police custody for the murder of Ackeem Isidora.
The following day, the detective informed his superiors and even made a statement, his phone records were checked but little did he know that telling the truth would cause him undue stress and victimization from left to right. He was sent home on April 23rd, one month later he got a letter to say he is being investigated for alleged dereliction of duty, his lawyer wrote the Minister of Justice and to date they got no response. To make matters worse before the officer was sent home he visited the Philipsburg Police Station and was basically chased out by a senior member of the management team, who told him that he should get out of his police station because no officer should ‘snitch’ on their colleagues. SMN News was told a CPO then opened the door and told the detective in question to get out and if he did not hear what their “Captain” said.
With all of the information SMN News gathered it seems as though people are being punished for telling the truth, while criminals are allowed to go free depending with whom they are connected and certain law enforcement agencies are busy running with people of unsound mind.
While SMN News did all its research it must also be made clear that KPSM pulled away from this murder investigation the moment they were informed that the suspect is one of their officers. Shortly after KPSM management suspended the officer pending the outcome of the investigation.
The prosecutor that was handling the case wanted to arrest the suspect one week after the investigation started but was not allowed to do so because her bosses in the Prosecutor’s Office said no it was not time, no one can really say what they were waiting for and of course when they were asked if a detective made a statement in the Isidora murder investigation they denied it.
It took several media reports before a decision was finally taken to arrest this officer. If justice was about equality one would expect that the most recent murder suspect who surrendered to police after shooting to death a taxi driver in St. Peters would have be out as a free man since he did the moral and right thing by turning himself in to police shortly after shooting to death his friend but obviously this murder suspect does not have friends in the right places.