Marigot: --- The court of first instance has sentenced Mayor Raoul Albert Fleming to six months suspended sentence with five years probation. Fleming also has to pay Euros 10,000 fine for granting a contract to commune employee Priscilla Bade's company Rainbow Transportation Services (RTS) in December 2004.The court also sentenced Bade to five months suspended sentence and fined her Euros 5000.00 Also condemned is Bade's brother co-owner of RTS which was not registered at the time the contract was granted to Bade. Bade's brother was equally condemned by the courts to, five months suspended sentence and a fine of Euros 5000.00 in a packed court room on Thursday. Albert Fleming has lost his voting rights for the next five years and he cannot under the French law contest any election until the sentence and probation period is over.
Priscilla Bade, her lawyer Aude Richards and co-owner of RTS Mr. George did not show up in court on Thursday when the decision of the court was pronounced by the court's president. The court was scheduled to give its verdict on April 22 but the decision was postponed to April 29 as the president of the court was stuck on France due to Ireland's volcano eruption which paralyzed Europe's air space for a number of days.
In an invited comment Mayor Fleming said he has to discuss the case with his lawyers to see if he would file an appeal. The former Mayor who has served St. Martin for 30 years of his life said he has ten days to file the appeal. He said one of consequences of the verdict delivered on Thursday is that the conviction would now appear on his police records, something he is very concerned about. The court also advised Fleming that if he paid the fine within one months time he is entitled to 20% discount of the fine, to an amount not more than Euros 1500.
Prosecutor Jacques Louvier told the court during the trial that Fleming as Mayor of St. Martin and the President of the bidding commission did not execute his duties and verify if RTS was eligible for the contract that was awarded to them. Rainbow Transportation Services (RTS) was registered after the bidding process Louvier argued since the necessary paperwork was not provided. The case was brought to the attention of the justice system in 2005 when the preceptor of St. Martin found out that RTS was not fully registered.