Philipsburg: --- Commissioner of Youth Affairs and Labour Louie Laveist has been released from pre-trial detention yesterday (Thursday) evening. The decision was taken late Thursday afternoon confirmed Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein. Asked if the commissioner cooperated with the investigators Stein said he has been talking ever since he was detained last Wednesday but that does not mean the commissioner said what the investigators were looking forward to hearing.
Stein also confirmed that the commissioner will be prosecuted in the near future. He said Laveist would be charged with forging of documents.
The commissioner was arrested on Wednesday last week after a year long investigation which is conducted by the Federal Detectives. His executive assistant Roberto Richardson was also arrested that same day but was released on Friday last week the same day the commissioner appeared before the judge of instruction for an extension of his pre-trail detention.
Laveist was asked by his party to resign latest today (Thursday) since he is detained and there is an ongoing investigation into alleged forgery of documents. Party leader Commissioner Wescot Williams said that the only way Laveist could make his seat in the island and executive council available to the party was by resigning, since the island government has no power to confiscate the seat.
Shortly after that notification the commissioner had to be transported to the St. Maarten Medical Center for treatment since his blood pressure went up.
Sources close to the investigation says Laveist was questioned mainly about his foundations and how he acquired monies for the foundations. It is alleged that the commissioner received monetary gifts from several businesses in favor of working documents. Those monies were deposited in the accounts of Culture Club and the New Hope Foundation. It is understood that investigators even questioned the commissioner about the amount of barber shops and buses that he owns.
One such business that is suspected of making large donations to Laveist in exchange for favors is New York nails whose disgruntled employee has pointed fingers to the commissioner. Another case is that of Venezuelan national Natalie Luna who was taken out of the Philipsburg Police detention even though the woman had no legal documents to reside on the island. Luna allegedly received permanent residency on the island one day after she was released. Luna has since left St. Maarten is residing in the US.
