PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The garbage dump on Sint Maarten, also called sanitary landfill, has been a reason for worry for many years. This is mainly because of the size, the method of management and the health risks it entails.
In addition, signals of corruption and serious crime exist around the tender of the relevant management contracts. The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Sint Maarten started an investigation in 2018 that focuses on the environment, public health and safety.
In July 2018, a separate investigation was started by the TBO, the anti-corruption task force of the Criminal Investigation Team (RST). This criminal investigation focuses on criminal acts around the procurement of contracts related to waste processing on Sint Maarten.
With special attention to official corruption: accepting bribes and bribery of civil servants. On 04 December 2018, TBO carried out house searches at various locations in the context of this investigation. The research is currently in full swing. More actions are not excluded.
The TBO is a collaboration between the criminal investigation team (RST) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
The TBO specializes in tackling financial economic crime and, among other things, conducts research into corruption such as tax fraud, forgery and money laundering.
To ensure the proper functioning of the democratic society, it is important that citizens have confidence in public administration. Official corruption is a phenomenon with many manifestations that mainly occurs at the interface of public private interests. Corruption affects the integrity of the government and leads to fake competition in business.
If you want to share signals about corruption with the TBO, you can do so via anti-corruption@rst-politie.net. You can also call or whatsapp via telephone number + (1721) 553 38 56.
