~ MP Frans Richardson lost voting rights for 5 years, Mingo unable to work for Government-owned companies.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Lawyers representing Member of Parliament Frans Richardson, Mark Mingo, and Oneal Arrindell all heard via teleconference on Wednesday that their clients were all convicted all charges brought against them in the Emerald Investigation which involves fraud at the Port of St. Maarten.
Member of Parliament Frans Richardson was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment while he has lost his voting rights for a period of five years. The court found that Richardson accepted $370,000.00 in bribes from the dredging project conducted by Devcon. The Attorney representing MP Richardson immediately filed an appeal after the verdict was pronounced.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo was also found guilty, he was found guilty of forgery and scamming the Port of St. Maarten in excess of $10M. Mingo was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment while not allowed to work for any government-owned company for a period of six years. Attorney at Law Geert Hatzmann also filed an appeal on behalf of his client.
Businessman Oniel Arrinedellwas found guilty of bribing MP Richardson, tax fraud, firearm possession. He was sentenced to 66 months imprisonment. Attorney at Law Brenda Brooks also filed an appeal against the decision of the court on behalf of her client.
The court denied the prosecution’s request to immediately incarcerate the three suspects that were all convicted by the court.
Prison sentences in Emerald II
Philipsburg - The Court of First Instance of Sint Maarten sentenced Wednesday, January 29, 2020, the former CEO of the Port Authority Sint Maarten to 46 months imprisonment for forgery of documents and scams of the Port Authority for approximately 10 million dollars. He is also forbidden to work as a director of a public company for a period of six years.
His co-perpetrator, a Saint Martin businessman who was also guilty of firearm possession, tax fraud and bribing a Member of Parliament, was sentenced to 66 months in prison.
The MP was sentenced to 36 months' imprisonment for accepting $ 370,000 as a reward for political support for a dredging project and for tax fraud. In addition, he was relieved of passive electoral rights for a period of 5 years.
The Court of First Instance considers the proven facts to be very harmful to the confidence that the people of Sint Maarten must be able to place in people in important positions, such as politicians and administrators of government companies. The actions of the suspects, on whom others depend and who is looked up to, therefore also have an undermining influence on society.
