Tuitt explained that even though there is a Ministerial decree signed by the Council of Ministers, that does not give the former Minister of Finance the go-ahead to make payments without following the letter of the law. He said the TAXAND project was not in the 2012 budget and neither was there a budget amendment done by his predecessor. Tuitt further explained that the former Minister had the obligation to ensure the payments are made legally and make sure that the services done by the contractor are done efficiently. Tuitt said a budget amendment had to be made and sent to the CFT for approval then has to go to Parliament for their approval. Tuitt said another document that was needed was a Landsbesluit that had to be signed off by the governor since the amounts were more than Naf. 50,000.00. When asked by SMN News if the Landsbesluit that was requested for an exemption since there was no tendering was signed, Tuitt said the Minister had that included in the Landsbesluit sent to the Governor, however, the former Minister of Finance was required to motivate his reasons for the exemption. Minister Tuitt said one of the reasons given by the former Minister of Finance is that there would have been a conflict of interest if local companies were used. He said that the reasoning was partly true but not completely. Tuitt said the local companies could have used the information they get while restructuring the tax system to prepare their clients to pay less taxes, but at the same time, one has to use the resources and manpower available to them in a small society to develop a new tax system. The Minister said certain documentations have to be in place for them to see if they will continue with the TAXAND project. When asked by SMN News about the conflict of interest that arises now that it is known that at least two persons that are working for Government are involved in TAXAND, the Minister said that is the reason there is a review and when it's done all of the information will be documented.
The Minister also confirmed that he expects to receive the figures from SOAB for the judicial inquiry on the TAXAND contract and payments on Thursday. He said when he receives that information it will be discussed with the Council of Ministers and a decision will then be taken on the judicial inquiry. It should be noted that after this inquiry is conducted if it is proven that the Minister of Finance jeopardized government and its finances then the prosecutor on St. Maarten could decide to prosecute the former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto and the former Minister of Education Rhoda Arrindell, under "Suzie's Law" which clearly states that Ministers that jeopardize government with overspending can be prosecuted.
