Update Country Report Curaçao 26 Jan 2017

Event

The prime minister of Sint Maarten, William Marlin, has renewed his call for the country to appoint its own attorney-general, superseding its current shared arrangement with Curaçao.

Analysis

Mr Marlin has reiterated his desire for Sint Maarten to have its own attorney-general, having originally raised the point in March last year, on the back of the arrest of a member of parliament (MP) on a vote-buying charge. The arrest of Silvio Matser, an MP for the United St Maarten party, occurred just hours before a crucial vote on the country's 2016 budget. At the time, the attorney-general and prosecutor's office claimed that they were not aware that Mr Matser's arrest had come just hours before a parliamentary vote on a subject that had been subject to considerable ongoing debate. Voting on the issue was subsequently delayed, which aroused suspicion in some quarters about the timing of the arrest, and possible interference from the Dutch authorities in the budgetary debate.

Mr Marlin reacted angrily in March 2016 to the claim of ignorance on the part of the justice officials, criticising their supposed lack of knowledge relating to the vote. He then went on to point to the untimely arrest of Mr Matser as evidence that the current attorney-general, who resides in Curaçao, is not sufficiently involved with developments in Sint Maarten. Mr Marlin claimed that the desire to see Sint Maarten appoint its own attorney-general was an issue that had the support of the country's council of ministers. The prime minister hinted at the fact that he believed it impossible for a single attorney-general to adequately cater to the needs of various countries.

The office of the attorney-general, based in the capital of Curaçao, Willemstad, is responsible for legal matters within Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The current attorney-general for the region, Guus Schram, in the post since February 1st 2014, was appointed by the Dutch Kingdom Council of Ministers on January 17th of that year.

Impact on the forecast

The prime minister's renewed call for an independent attorney-general, backed up by his claim of support from Sint Maarten's MPs, is likely to put pressure on the Dutch authorities to reconsider their stance. However, the situation is unlikely to change in the short term, and will therefore have no bearing on the current political scene in the country.