Government ICT head arrested

The Public Prosecutor’s office is reporting that head of ICT for Country Sint Maarten, Micheal Dijkhoffz has been arrested Tuesday in the ‘SEABASS’ investigation. SEABASS is a long-term investigation in which the National Detectives investigate irregularities in the procurement of ICT projects in recent years. M.D. is suspected of abuse of his position when awarding of public ICT tenders, government fraud and money laundering of the unlawful proceeds.

The investigation identified several persons and legal entities as suspects. In addition, an undisclosed amount of money and a plot of land were seized. Another person involved in the SEABASS enquiry, J.L. has already been arrested by the National Detectives as part of this investigation. J.L. is currently in custody. More arrests are not ruled out.

The National Detectives are conducting this investigation because of the actions of the accused, which undermines the integrity of the public administration and the trust in the civil service. Administrative responsibilities and business interests seem to be intertwined. This is at the expense of the quality and price of the products supplied to the government and distorts the level playing field for businesses.

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