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Prosecutor Removed From From Buncamper-Case

Prosecutor Dounia Benammar (pictured here in Cupecoy on her way to the crime scene of the Michael and Thelma King murders in 2012) will replace Gonda van der Wulp (inset) as the lead prosecutor during the Buncamper-trial. Photo Today / Leo Brown After allegedly photographing statements from witnesses for the defense

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp has been removed from the Buncamper-case that goes to trial on September 9 and 10. Prosecutor Dounia Benammar, who works at the office of Attorney-General Guus Schram in Curacao, has been appointed as her replacement.

The prosecutor’s office did not want to comment on the reasons for the swap yesterday.

This newspaper learned from a reliable source that Van der Wulp allegedly overstepped her authority during a search at the house of the Buncampers on Ponum Drive in St Read more

Transparency International Presents Integrity Assessment: “Political Parties Are Weak In Representing Social Interests”

Transparency International’s regional director for the Americas Alejandro Salas and lead researcher Cora de Voit. Photo Today / Leo Brown

GREAT BAY – At 7 p.m. local time last night, Transparency International’s National Integrity System assessment for St. Maarten came online. The company presented the report at the same time at the university on Pond Island. St. Maarten has now come full circle with probing its integrity issues. There are four reports on the table: the Baseline Study Institutional Integrity from the General Audit Chamber, the integrity-reports from the Bob Wit-committee and PricewaterhouseCoopers and now the transparency assessment.

It contains three core recommendations, of which the third one is the most concrete Read more