PHILIPSBURG--The planned meeting of the Parliament’s Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Relations to appoint a new chairperson today, Wednesday, has been postponed until a further notice.
The present committee chairman is suspended Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger (United Democrats). The deputy chairman is MP Claude Peterson (St. Maarten Christian Party).
MP Jules James (United Democrats) is a substitute MP in the place of Heyliger. That does not mean that he automatically becomes a member or heads any committee Heyliger was part of.
The replacement of Heyliger as committee head comes on the day after his legal team scored a victory in the case against his detention. Heyliger is to be released from his legal detention, but not before a bail bond of sorts is put up for him.
Heyliger was released from hospital Tuesday evening following the court ruling.
Doctors found a tumor in Heyliger’s right kidney. That tumour has been deemed cancerous after a biopsy.
Heyliger was arrested at his home in Guana Bay on February 19. He is charged levied by the Prosecutor’s Office of corruption and money-laundering over a long period. He was transported from Pointe Blanche Prison to St. Maarten Medical Centre just over a week ago for urgent treatment. While there, the judge on the request of the prosecutor extended his detention for another 30 days. It is against that further detention that a ruling was rendered on Tuesday.
