All five suspects detained in the Emerald-investigation will be released from pre-trial detention by the Prosecutor’s Office during the course of the day on Saturday March 18, 2017. They are the suspects C.B., S.W., A.A., C.D. and K.L. The Prosecutor’s Office does not find it necessary for the case against them that they remain in detention . They all remain suspects in the ongoing investigation.
The special anti-corruption taskforce TBO of the Kingdom Detectives Cooperation Team (RST) in cooperation with the National Detectives Agency St. Maarten and the French authorities also carried out two house searches on March 15, 2017. Also, the suspects C.B., A.A. and S. W. were arrested and detained. Later that day, a fourth suspect C.D. was arrested and on March 16 a fifth suspect K.L.
The Emerald-investigation started in April 2016, following reports in the newspapers and questions asked in Parliament about the contract signed between the suspect’s security company the port authority of St. Maarten. During this investigation suspicions arose about tax fraud, forgery and money laundering.
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 Sint Maarten and the Prosecutor’s Office have joined forces to combat corruption.
