Former MP and minister leaves prison following a prolonged dispute over sentence calculations, electronic monitoring and prison capacity.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Former Member of Parliament and minister Theodore “Theo” Heyliger was released from prison on Friday, October 16, 2026, on early release, marking a significant development in a case that has generated years of legal proceedings and political controversy.
His release follows months of public debate over his eligibility, the calculation of time served and the application of St Maarten’s early-release framework.
The former United People’s Party leader had been serving a five-year prison sentence imposed in the Larimar corruption case. His departure from prison does not overturn that conviction.
From political prominence to imprisonment
A former commissioner, minister, and Member of Parliament, Heyliger was among St Maarten’s most influential political figures before criminal proceedings brought his public career to a halt.
The Larimar investigation began on March 2, 2017, and the Recherche Samenwerkingsteam conducted it under the Central Team of the Prosecutor-General’s Office.
On May 15, 2020, the Court of First Instance sentenced Heyliger to five years in prison for accepting bribes and money laundering. Both the prosecution and Heyliger initially appealed.
The court’s judgment described nearly US$4 million in bribes accepted from businesses in exchange for government contracts and to maintain favorable relationships. It also addressed the laundering of land acquired with illicit proceeds.
The court emphasized the broader public cost: bribery made projects unnecessarily expensive, shifted the burden onto taxpayers, and undermined confidence in public leadership.
The US$5 million settlement
In October 2023, the Public Prosecutor’s Office announced an asset-recovery settlement requiring Heyliger to pay US$5 million and surrender rights and rental income associated with various properties.
Prosecutors said the agreement addressed unlawfully obtained assets and that the money would benefit the crime fund. They also announced the conclusion of the criminal appeal proceedings, making the criminal cases final.
The financial settlement did not replace the prison sentence.
SMN News reported in January 2024 that Heyliger had been summoned to report to Pointe Blanche Prison at 10:00 a.m. on January 15 to serve his sentence.
An earlier release request was refused
His release now follows an earlier rejection by Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling, reported in July 2026.
The dispute centered on competing sentence calculations, credit for pretrial detention, and arguments about electronic monitoring and using early release to relieve pressure on prison capacity.
SMN News reported on July 30 that the Ministry's accepted calculation set Heyliger’s ordinary conditional-release date for January 27, 2027, with an adjusted sentence-expiry date of September 18, 2028. His October release therefore comes ahead of that previously reported ordinary eligibility date.
The precise statutory basis for the release and any supervision conditions should be distinguished from those earlier calculations. Electronic monitoring, a capacity-based release decision and ordinary conditional release are not interchangeable explanations.
UNOPS involvement drew scrutiny
The earlier refusal also attracted attention because UNOPS was asked to review the competing sentence calculations.
During an August press briefing, Tackling explained that she sought an independent check after the prison and the inmate’s attorney presented different calculations. She said UNOPS was not normally part of this process.
According to her, sentence calculations ordinarily involve the prison and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, followed by relevant assessments and advice on conditional release.
The consultation prompted questions about the scope of UNOPS’ role, given its involvement in the new prison project.
Prison capacity and equal treatment
The debate extended beyond Heyliger’s individual circumstances.
SMN News’s August reporting examined the published 2023 conditional-release policy, including its provisions concerning early release and electronic monitoring. That reporting also stressed that the policy did not create an automatic entitlement to release after serving 55 percent of a sentence.
Article 1:37 of the Criminal Code allows the Justice Minister to grant conditional release because of a shortage of prison places, using a criterion based on how close a prisoner has proportionally come to the statutory release date.
The law also requires that the release decision, probation period, and conditions be personally served before release. The existence of that mechanism alone does not establish which provision was applied to Heyliger.
During Parliament’s August budget deliberations, MP Viren Kotai questioned the use of electronic monitoring and whether prison places could be freed for violent offenders.
Tackling rejected suggestions that a personal issue influenced how Heyliger’s case was handled. She maintained that release decisions must follow the law and that a prisoner’s name or former political office could not determine the outcome.
Separate civil case remains distinct
Heyliger’s release concerns the execution of his criminal sentence. It must be distinguished from separate civil litigation involving the proposed Dutch Village development at the cruise port.
In October 2025, the Court of First Instance reportedly ordered him to pay US$92.1 million in damages in that matter.
His wife, Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten, said in January 2026 that he was appealing the civil judgment. She also described the family’s priorities as healing and reintegration and said decisions about any future political involvement should not be rushed.
Friday’s release closes a period of imprisonment that drew sustained public attention. It leaves intact the final corruption conviction and the broader record of the Larimar proceedings.
