PHILIPSBURG – On Thursday morning, June 8, a search began at the harbour of St. Maarten. This search was conducted by the special anti-corruption taskforce TBO of the Kingdom Detectives Cooperation Team (RST), under supervision of the investigating judge.
The search is part of the ongoing Emerald investigation. Previously, several premises were searched and arrests were made. Yesterday, 46-year-old Mark Mingo was arrested. He is still being detained under restrictive measures. For that reason, no further information on his case will be given for the time being.
The harbour is not a suspect in the Emerald investigation at the moment. The search is still ongoing. The harbour is fully cooperating with the taskforce, and an update will be given as soon as possible.
The Emerald investigation started in April 2016, and is investigating suspicions that the owner of a security company had committed tax fraud, forgery and money laundering. In November 2016, this suspect O.A. was arrested and several of his properties and possessions were seized.
The investigation is part of a joint intensified fight against international fraud and corruption. Corruption and money laundering threatens the security and economy of the countries in the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom.
The special anti-corruption taskforce, TBO of the RST, together with the National Detectives Agencies (Landsrecherches) of Curaçao and St. Maarten and the Prosecutor’s Office have joined forces to combat corruption.
For more information like their Facebook page: @TBOAnticorruptionWatch.
