PHILIPSBURG: --- Disgraced politician and convicted felon Theodore Heyliger, former Minister and Member of Parliament was summoned on Friday to report to the Pointe Blanche Prison at 10 am on Monday, January 15th, 2024.
SMN News has been reliably informed that Heyliger, in settlement with the Prosecutor’s Office in the Larimar case agreed to serve his prison sentence after the 2024 Parliamentary Election.
In October 2023 the Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release that Theodore Heyliger was sentenced by the Court of First Instance (CFI) in the Larimar criminal case to five years' imprisonment for accepting bribes and money laundering. The accused enriched himself for years as a politician at the expense of the citizens of St Maarten.
Convicted Theodore Heyliger) and the prosecution appealed the verdict.
At the same time as the criminal case, a criminal financial investigation was launched by the RST to determine whether the Larimar defendants had gained any illegally obtained benefit. This investigation revealed that Theodore Heyliger had indeed enriched himself by committing the offenses for which he was convicted. Therefore, the public prosecutor started a deprivation case against Heyliger.
The prosecution and Theodore Heyliger have settled the proposed deprivation case. The settlement consists of paying a sum of money of US $5 million to the public prosecutor and waiving rights and rental income of various immovable properties. With this, Theodore Heyliger renounces assets obtained by him unlawfully.
The amount will benefit the crime fund. Opting for a settlement agreement avoids lengthy court proceedings for both parties. The dispossession case is closed with the reaching of this settlement and the parties will request the Court of First Instance to declare the case closed on November 1.
Today, the prosecution and the defense informed the Court that they no longer had an interest in continuing the appeal hearing of the Larimar and Catfish criminal cases. The Court subsequently declared the prosecution’s appeal inadmissible. The criminal cases of Theodore Heyliger are now closed and irrevocable. Theodore Heyliger will receive a summons to serve his prison sentence.
Ensuring the integrity of the country and the application of law are important to the fabric of the community. This case showed how unlawful actions by a single official, to whom the care and development of the country has been entrusted, can slow down progress and cause sometimes irreparable damage to the present and future. The prosecution sees the conclusion of this case as a joint step towards a better future for the country.
