PHILIPSBURG:--- Former Member and Chairman of Parliament Rolando Brison, together with co-suspects Johan Alex Dijkhoffz, Robby Dos Santos, and S Sunil Gehani., are before the Court of First Instance this week following an extensive investigation into alleged bribery involving the former MP and Chairman of Parliament.
Rolando Brison is suspected of soliciting and accepting bribes during his tenure as an MP and, in part, during his time as Chairman of Parliament. The co-suspects are alleged to have paid the bribes.
The Prosecutor has requested prison sentences ranging from 12 to 24 months. In addition, the Prosecutor has requested that Roland Brison be disqualified from holding public office for a period of five years. In addition, the Prosecutor has demanded that Rolando Brison repay a total of US$ 52,190.35 for unlawfully obtained assets.
The “Lissabon” investigation was started in February 2023 by the Kingdom Cooperation Team RST under the direction of the Central Team of the Attorney General's Office of Curaçao, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba.
It is in the interest of Sint Maarten society that there be clarity about the alleged corrupt conduct of a person in the public administration.
For a well-functioning democratic society, it is essential that residents have confidence in their government. Official corruption is a phenomenon with many manifestations and mainly occurs at the interface of public and private interests. Corruption can permanently disrupt a society: it undermines the integrity of the government and fosters false trade competition.
For those reasons, the Central Team takes signals of such corruption extremely seriously and, if necessary, has an in-depth investigation carried out.
The court hearing continues on Tuesday, March 10.
SMN News will bring the full article, citing both sides, tomorrow evening.
