PHILIPSBURG--On the night of Wednesday, 11 May 2022, and Thursday, May 12, 2022, the Recherche Samenwerkingsteam (RST) arrested three people and conducted searches at three houses and at the addresses of two businesses on Sint Maarten under the supervision of the investigating magistrate.
“The arrests of J.A.D., S.B.F. and N.M.B.H. and the searches are related to an extensive investigation codenamed “Mitte” and is focused on fraud related to cleanup and repair works carried out at Princess Juliana International Airport after Hurricane Irma,” the Prosecutor’s Office explained in a press release.
J.A.D. was arrested on suspicion of bribery and money laundering; S.B.F. for bribery, forgery, money laundering, and N.M.B.H. for money laundering.
This brings the number of people arrested to five. In November 2021, two other suspects R.G. and M.H. were arrested as well. Both are suspected of fraud.
As far as the searches are concerned, The Daily Herald understands the owners of one house and one business searched are not actual suspects, but it is believed information related to the case may be stored in those locations.
The “Mitte” investigation is executed by the RST under the leadership of the Anti-Corruption Taskforce TBO of the Attorney-General’s Office of Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.
TBO focuses on a specialized approach to combat corruption and subversive crime. The team conducts criminal investigations with a financial-economic component and involving Politically Exposed Persons (PEP), civil servants, state owned companies, facilitators or organizations in the collective sector. In addition to corruption, this cross-border crime often consists of serious forms of tax fraud and money laundering.
