And is this how the Dutch Judicial system operate in the Netherlands?
PHILIPSBURG:--- Persons that commit crimes must do the time, it is core beliefs of every judicial system. However, Prosecutors have to ensure that whatever they do when investigating cases and making arrests of anyone that they do it in accordance with the law and not do it in order to shame the suspect or country. It is the Prosecutor’s that has to have the burden of proof and not the suspects.
Over the years several persons that are of high standing in the St. Maarten community, especially those that represent the country overseas have been arrested in the most humiliating way and they, in turn, have to wait years before they could have their day in court.
Hiro Shigimoto, Edward Dest and Regina Labega all who were arrested, their homes have been searched, and the humiliation these people go through while waiting for their day in court cannot be described in words alone.
Shigimoto was fully acquitted while Edward Dest after spending days in pretrial detention and years before they got their day in court were eventually convicted to 1-day jail term. However, the emotional and psychological effects these two men suffered can never be repaired. Their names are forever stained as there is no way they could regain their notoriety in this country or any other.
Regina Labega, has been waiting for years for her day in court, because of the investigation that has taken years Labega lost her job as director at Princess Juliana International Airport, the second busiest airport in the region.
The Buncamper’s also faced the same humiliation and while it was stated they were under investigation for years which affected their professional lives immensely the Buncamper’s had to initiate a court case in order for a judge to order the Prosecutor’s Office to do their jobs.
Attorney at law Brenda Brooks was also arrested and kept for 8 days in custody even while she was ill. All of this because of a “Whatsapp message”.
The other family that has to endure the same shame and humiliation is the family of Mark Mingo, the CEO of the largest cruise facility in the Region. There is no other way to describe how Mingo was arrested except to say it was a “Gestapo arrest” made on Wednesday at the check-in counter at the Princess Juliana International Airport. It is clear that the Prosecutor’s Office along with the TBO and RST team want to send a message to the Netherlands while humiliating the country St. Maarten, in the meantime, these very officers of the law ensured that they tarnish the country and its only source of economy. Mark Mingo is the face of St. Maarten within the cruise tourism industry, depriving him of representing the country’s interest was certainly the aim of the investigators. Hopefully, Mark Mingo will not have to wait years for his day in court. Certainly, if he is guilty of any crime he must do the time as he is not above the law.
However, while all this is taking place the politicians on St. Maarten went mute acting more like cowards, not one of them condemned the way these arrests are being made and how long suspects have to wait to get their day in court.
What is even more damning for the country is that the Council of Ministers chose to give the Prosecutor’s Office “carte blanche” when they chose to sign off on the policy to establish the “Afpak team”, the very same politicians that are putting on a show in Parliament with the installation of the Afpak team. It is clear that St. Maarten has no real representatives that would stand up to these types of injustices.
Everyone knows that the mother country the Netherlands has more corrupt politicians walking around and not once the Dutch judicial authorities invade the homes of these politicians that are tied to drug cartels or involved in massive fraud, or even arrest them in a “gestapo” manner. When the Dutch politicians are caught mostly by the media the only thing they do is step down from office with a nice speech and the case goes dead. Even the Dutch civil servants that committed crimes in Holland are being sent to St. Maarten with a higher salary instead of being prosecuted for the crimes they commit.
Just recently a few lawyers contacted SMN News and the story they tell is so alarming yet nothing is done about it. The lawyers said that corruption in St. Maarten is not only among politicians but it is dominant even in the courthouse and prosecutor's office, places where justice is supposed to be served. Not so long ago a letter appeared in SMN News’s post box that identified a number of illegalities committed by at least one judge. The letter was published on SMN News and also sent to the Attorney General and the president of the Common Court of Justice in Curacao. Shortly after the judge was transferred to Curacao and given a higher position.
Is this a fair judicial system or is there some sort of class justice on Sint Maarten ??
