PHILIPSBURG--The Criminal Defence Section of the St. Maarten Bar Association is threatening industrial action against the Ministry of Justice for backlog of payments owed to lawyers who defend residents on behalf of government.
Pro-bono lawyers called a strike last year in April because, according to them, government had failed to honour an ultimatum set by the lawyers for payment of all fees due to them.
Criminal Defence Section Chairman Cor Merx has been corresponding with the Ministry about the payments. Pro-bono lawyers give criminal suspects who cannot afford a lawyer free-of-charge legal assistance during the handling of their cases. The bill is paid by government.
Merx said in a letter to the ministry this week that as chairman of the group, he is outraged about the way the ministry is handling the group. “You do not know how important the ‘primary’ role of a doctor and a lawyer is in first aid. You have obviously no idea at the department,” stated Merx.
The lawyers call on the Council of Ministers to come with a solution as soon as possible or they will have no choice but to go on strike again. The backlog of payments this time goes back to January 2018.
