Philipsburg:--- The prosecutor's office released Brooks Tower Accord Extension 2 project coordinator Evelyn Hodge at 5pm on Friday. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said Hodge still remains a suspect as the investigation continues. The Chief Prosecutor further explained that it is not possible to say if Hodge will be prosecuted at this time, a decision he said will be taken when the investigation is completed.Attorney at law Cor Merx rushed to the Pointe Blanche Prison and picked up his client when he was notified that she was released from pre-trial detention on Friday afternoon. However, Hodge must remain at the disposal of the prosecutor's office and the detectives in case she is needed for further questioning.
A smiling and reduced Evelyn Hodge walked side by side with her attorney Cor Merx as they entered the Chesterfields restaurant where they met a few friends and her former boss former Lt. Governor of St. Maarten Denis Richardson.
Hodge told reporters that just a few days ago her arrest and detention began getting to her causing her to become somewhat depressed. She said on Friday morning she was crying in prison as she asked herself why she was still behind bars. Hodge said she is happy that she was released from prison and among family and friends. She said despite the circumstances she will try hard to move on with her life. Hodge said it is always good to have special people and friends who would jump to your rescue in your time of need. "If it was not for Denis Richardson and Cor Merx and a handful of other people I would not have made it. My arrest was a shock to me and when I spoke to my daughter and she told me about the negative blogs, it got to me. My daughter is studying abroad and this can affect her studies. I even started to cry when I spoke to my daughter and she told me to stop and be strong because she was not crying." Hodge said during the time she was incarcerated she was treated well by all the investigating officers namely the Marachausee, RST and local detectives while she was treated excellently at the Pointe Blanche Prison. She said from the day she was arrested she was taken to the Pointe Blanche prison to sleep on a decent bunk bed.She said the two cell mates that were with her began beating pans and rejoicing when the prosecutor's office decided to release her.
Merx said it is not always easy or necessary to get people out of police custody immediately. He said he had to count on his 25 years of experience as a former prosecutor and now defence lawyer. "Immediate release is not always the best thing to do. I spoke to the public prosecutor on Friday because I was kind of angry when I learnt my client was the one organizing the files for the detectives. Three of the five times my client was interrogated they asked her how does the Brooks Tower works, which lead me to ask who is leading the investigation." Merx said at that point he requested the prosecutor's office release his client while she will be available to assist them with the investigation. He said prosecutor Rienk Mud was willing to listen to his arguments, Mud he said told him that they still have some issues and that by 5pm on Friday he will return his call. Merx said Mud lived up to his promise and when he called him at 5pm it was to inform him that his client was released and that he could go to the prison to pick her up. Merx said while the investigation is ongoing there is comes a point when the prosecutors and detectives do not need to keep the suspect behind bars. He said there are several cases where people were arrested and shortly after they were released. Furthermore, "I am happy to know that we have prosecutors who are willing to listen and most importantly when they are not afraid to arrest people and release them when they have to. My client will assist them to the best of her ability to put the person responsible for this scandal behind bars for a long time."Merx further explained that his client has her 91 year old mother who is worried about her daughter while she also has a 24 year old daughter who is studying in Tallahassee. Hodge he said will sleep well this weekend in her own bed and most importantly she will begin eating again.
Merx said his client was a suspect in human smuggling and forgery and he can say now that the human smuggling charge is out of the equation. He said he discussed the charge with the public prosecutor and he informed them that human smuggling is when you purposely bring people into the island and the suspects receive a benefit. In the case of the BTA no one was brought in by any of the suspects. Merx said he advised his client to fully cooperate with the investigators especially knowing that she did nothing with wrong intentions.
Merx said while there is press freedom on St. Maarten, he is not pleased with the Today Newspaper who chose to blast his client's photograph on the front page of their newspaper the day she was arrested. He also considered the night editor or reporter to be irresponsible for the editorial they wrote about Hodge. He said the paper wrote in their editorial that his client was grabbing monies from poor people all of which is for nought. He said someone stole some documents from Hodge's desk to make money and the Today Newspaper he said blamed his client for something that cannot be proven.Former Lt. Governor Denis Richardson who was with Hodge and Merx shortly after she was released said Evelyn Hodge worked for him for six years as his secretary when he was the Lt. Governor of St. Maarten. He said when he heard that Evelyn Hodge was arrested for committing crimes while executing her duties at the BTA office he could not believe that Evelyn would be involved in any such thing of that nature because for the six years she worked for him she never did anything inappropriate. Hodge he said has always been attentive and helpful to the citizens of St. Maarten who needed help from the Governor's office. Hodge assisted people when they needed assistance in processing their residency permits but never in anyway inappropriate or illegal. "To be honest with you I could not believe she had done anything wrong and to this day I still don't believe she has done anything wrong." Richardson said.
