SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG--The Council of Ministers wants the screening of minister candidates to be carried out only based on the country's existing laws and not in conjunction with the additional screening being demanded by the Kingdom Government. When the names are submitted to Governor Eugene Holiday, it will be up to him to decide how to proceed with the screening.

The incumbent Council of Ministers decided the names of minister candidates should be submitted to Holiday and their security and integrity screenings should take place "within the confines and limits of the laws of St. Maarten and "not based on the kingdom instruction to the governor."

Deputy Prime Minister Dennis Richardson told this to Members of Parliament in a Central Committee meeting on Wednesday. That meeting dealt with the integrity reports of the Wit-Samson Committee and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The Council of Ministers decided on Tuesday that Formateur United People's (UP) party leader Theo Heyliger "should continue with selection of candidates for ministers and that they should be presented to the governor for screening."

The Council of Ministers sees the kingdom instruction for additional screening as "limitless." Richardson called it "a kind of fishing" expedition.

The Council of Ministers has taken "a second look" in the past days and will continue to do so at the country's established screening process for ministers.

"My conclusion is that the screening process of St. Maarten is much deeper than assumed ... contrary to belief, if there are suspicious transactions that have been brought to the Public Prosecutor's Office and these suspicious transactions merit an investigation, they will play a role in the information the Public Prosecutor's Office will give to the governor. Therefore the governor and formateur will be able to assess whether a candidate is suitable for the position of minister," Richardson said.

If a candidate is not suitable, the governor can have the national decree to appoint him or her as minister annulled.