A police commissioner in
human trafficking probe
~ Federal Detectives take over case ~
PHILIPSBURG--A Police Commissioner is now at the centre of a probe into human trafficking and the serious nature of the allegations has resulted in the investigations being handed over to the Curaçao-based Federal Detectives.
Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein confirmed to The Daily Herald Wednesday that the files gathered by local detectives regarding the alleged human trafficking operation involving Chinese national G.Y. and the very high ranking police officer had been submitted to the Federal Detectives, who will be taking over the investigation.
“Whenever there is the idea that a civil servant is involved in a matter of a serious criminal nature it is logical that we ask the Federal Detectives to investigate the matter,” Stein explained.
Stein remained tight-lipped Wednesday about the specific identity of the senior police officer being investigated, contending that it would not be prudent for him to give detailed information regarding the case at this stage. However, this newspaper has been reliably informed that the officer is a Police Commissioner who had featured in a number of controversies over the last two to three years.
Stein said the Prosecutor’s Office did not have the authority to make determinations about the suspension of civil servants under investigation. In this case, that responsibility would fall in the hands of Police Chief Commissioner of the Windward Islands Derrick Holiday. However, Holiday has not been available for comment regarding the very serious allegations involving one of his senior officers.
Stein stressed, however, that any suspension from duty must be based on reasonable grounds that the officer was involved in wrongdoing. He said sometimes the first reaction based on such an allegation would be to take the officer’s weapon and put him or her on desk duty. If there is proof that the officer indeed acted inappropriately, then suspension would be a reasonable course of action.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister of the Netherlands Antilles David Dick told this newspaper in an invited comment on the investigations, “In all cases we are a serious organisation, and if there are indications that a public functionary within the system is not behaving correctly we will pay attention to it and deal with it in an appropriate manner.”
Since G.Y.’s arrest the Prosecutor’s Office has been granted an eight-day extension of his pre-trial detention while investigators continue their probe into the matter.
