PHILIPSBURG:--- While lips are sealed and negotiations are taking place behind closed doors as to who will become the Minister of Justice SMN News learnt from well-placed sources that former head of the Coast Guards and now a member of the management team of the Landsrecherche Edward Kirindongo is the proposed candidate that is currently undergoing screening to take up the position as Minister of Justice.
Kirindongo's name was mentioned once before when the USP joined the UPP/de Weever/LRM coalition but he never got the position because former Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson did not comply with USP leader Frans Richardson’s request when he asked him to resign prior to the motion of no-confidence given to the Gumbs cabinet.
On Wednesday SMN News asked Prime Minister William Marlin if the USP is contesting the report (screening) of Glen Daniel because it is alleged that the screening is flawed Marlin refuted those claims saying that he personally does not see the reports and the only person that sees the reports is a judge on the appeals committee. Marlin said that the seventh Minister will be sworn in before the end of the year but said he will not divulge the name of the candidate minister because if that person does not pass the screening then the person’s name is being tarnished within the community.
Efforts made to reach USP leader Frans Richardson on Wednesday on a confirmation on the selected candidate proved futile.
Marlin further stated that the former government took eight months before they managed to get a full cabinet but the red, white a blue coalition will not take that long because he is certain that the Minister of Justice will be sworn in before the end of the year.
