THE HAGUE, Netherlands:--- Justice must undertake a major criminal investigation into the thoroughly corrupt St. Maarten. That is what the Second Chamber demands now that Theo Heyliger has grabbed absolute power on the island.
A majority of the chamber members of the VVD, SP CDA and the PVV want action after it appears from a Price Waterhouse report, released this weekend, that the entire administration is steeped in cronyism. If the prosecutor is not able to get a grip on the administrative leadership on the island then Minister Plasterk (Kingdom Relations) must force them to conduct a criminal investigation. That would be a far reaching move against an autonomous country within the kingdom.
Contested
From the report, which was commissioned by Minister Plasterk, it appears that there is corruption in all layers of government. With is even more worrisome to Dutch politicians is that Theo Heyliger seized absolute power on the island last week..
A judge recently said that he wanted this boss of the UPP party in his courtroom, because everything points to him as the big fish in an investigation into election fraud.
The justice department on the island did not investigate him. In the August elections he barely missed obtaining the majority. Now that former minister Cornelius the Weever has suddenly defected to his side, Heyliger's club has absolute power.
According to VVD member Bosman, the Weever was "simply paid" by Heyliger. The liberal sees in the integrity report of last weekend that there is a lot of corruption in the harbor where Heyliger operates.
Action:
"Everything is going wrong there" Bosman says about the island. He wants Holland to send all necessary support for a criminal investigation. SP member van Raak says" Mafia types seem to be in power there". Holland is responsible for good government there. We are assuming that responsibility and we will remove dirty money and politicians or it is goodbye kingdom. CDA member Van Toorenburg wants action as soon as possible from the minister. Things have been going wrong for a long time now. I see too little of Plasterk. PVV chamber member Fritsma supports the call for action from Justice, but that solution is not his first choice. It is a corrupt banana republic. We have to get rid of those islands as quickly as possible. Because of international agreements that is not feasible at present, but the PVV wants to change that.
Plasterk is waiting to comment on the corruption report and Heyliger's power grap until after the island has expressed itself about the report. But according to him the report shows that the kingdom council of ministers had a right to be alarmed.
The Labor Party also finds that a criminal investigation is necessary , but is not sure whether Plasterk should issue a directive to that effect. Labor Party member Van Laar is very concerned about the island and hopes at any rate that the present coalition and the recent elections and will be thoroughly investigated by the prosecutor.
Click here to read the article printed in the Telegraaf on Monday.
