PHILIPSBURG: --- Former Member of Parliament Rolando Brison was acquitted on two bribery allegations but sentenced to six months in prison after the Court of First Instance of Sint Maarten found one corruption charge proven in the case known as “Lissabon.”
The court ruled Wednesday that prosecutors failed to prove bribery in two of the alleged incidents involving Brison. The charges with co-defendants Robbie dos Santos and Sunil Gehani were thrown out because the Prosecutor's Office failed to prove that part of the case.
However, the judge concluded that in a separate case, he improperly favored co-defendant Johan Alex Dijkhoff in exchange for money, airline tickets, and other gifts. Dijkhoffz is a long-time friend of Brison.
For that offense, the court sentenced Brison to six months in prison, far below the 24 months requested by the Prosecutors' Office. He was also ordered to repay approximately US$8,000 in benefits received through the corrupt arrangement. In addition, he was barred for five years from standing for elected office and from serving as a civil servant.
Dijkhoffz was sentenced to four months in prison for his role in the case.
In its ruling, the court stressed that citizens must be able to trust that public officials are guided by the public interest and not by personal gain. Judges said a prison sentence was necessary to send a clear signal that corruption in public office would not be tolerated.
The judgments are expected to be published shortly, in a decision likely to reignite debate over integrity and accountability in Sint Maarten politics.
