His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday, in accordance with the provisions of the Kingdom Decree of September 30, 2013, submitted the final integrity report, entitled Integrity Inquiry Into the functioning of the Government of Sint Maarten, to the Kingdom Council of Ministers today August 25, 2014. A copy of the report has also been submitted to the Council of Ministers of Sint Maarten for its perusal.
The integrity inquiry was conducted by the New York based Accounting Firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), who was commissioned by the Governor based on the results of the tender organized on December 20, 2013. PwC commenced the inquiry on February 26, 2014 and completed its work on August 15, 2014. PwC conducted the Inquiry under the direction and guidance of the Steering Committee. This committee, comprised of chairman mr. dr. Marten Oosting, and mr. Jaime Saleh and mr. Miguel Alexander as members, has been installed by the Governor on December 4th, 2013, to amongst others oversee and ensure an independent, impartial and effective process.
The purpose of the inquiry was threefold: to collect data and information for assessment based on integrity requirements in accordance with the rule of law in a democratic society, to report the findings from the assessment and, finally, to make recommendations that add value to the functioning of the public administration of Sint Maarten. The scope of the inquiry, in keeping with the provisions of the Kingdom Decree of September 30, 2013, covers the government and includes ministers, the civil servants in the ministries and state owned companies. It focusses on vulnerable sectors such as prostitution, gambling and immigration as well as vulnerable activities such as permits for and the execution of infrastructural works and (other) large tenders. For completeness it should be noted that the inquiry is an integrity investigation and not a penal investigation. The inquiry is as such separate from any penal investigation being carried out by the Office of the Public Prosecutor.
PWC conducted the inquiry based on information gathered from interviews with various officials, concerned parties and key stakeholders in government and state owned companies. PwC also obtained information through analysis of documents it received and publications.
The report, based on an assessment of the governance and integrity practices of the government and several state owned companies against leading practices and international standards, identifies several challenges in the integrity architecture of Sint Maarten. Based on the assessment, the report provides several recommendations aimed at enhancing the integrity architecture for consideration by the Government of Sint Maarten.
The report has been presented to the Kingdom Council of Ministers for further handling and consideration.
