Holiday’s lawyer calls for
probe into Dick’s motives
PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister David Dick appointed Police Chief Commissioner Derrick Holiday as advisor to the Ministry of Justice while he knew Holiday was considered a suspect in an ongoing investigation.
Holiday’s lawyer Joeri Essed queried the Minister’s actions in a press statement on Monday.
Essed also raised questions about the minister’s decision to place Holiday on non-active duty as an advisor and not as Police Chief Commissioner.
“I cannot help but wonder whether there are ulterior motives at play in this entire course of events,” Essed said. He believes Dick’s actions should be thoroughly reviewed.
“On February 22, by way of a letter from the Lt. Governor, Holiday was served a Central Government Decree dated February 18, suspending him from his function of Police Chief Commissioner of the Windward Islands. This is the latest in a chain of developments in the case against my client,” the lawyer stated.
Holiday was removed from his position as Police Chief Commissioner of the Windward Islands against his will by Ministerial Decree dated January 31 and placed at the disposal of the Minister of Justice to advise on and assist with the setting up of the justice system in St. Maarten effective February 1.
The Prosecutor’s Office submitted requests to the Judge of Instruction on that same day – February 1 – to conduct a search of his client’s home and office, as well as an investigation into his client’s bank accounts, all based on alleged suspicions of forgery of Immigration documents, Essed stated.
“Early in the morning of February 5, 2008, the house search was executed and my client was unceremoniously arrested, based on alleged suspicions of forgery of Immigration documents, only to be released 35 hours later on February 6, obviously due to the lack of grounds to justify detention,” Essed said.
Referring to Holiday’s arrest on suspicion of forgery, by Decree of February 8 Dick withdrew his earlier Ministerial Decree of January 31, in which he had appointed Holiday as his advisor, because that position supposedly was not compatible with the suspicions against Holiday, even though the Minister had already known of those suspicions well before January 31, Essed said.
“With the withdrawal of the January 31 decree, Holiday was automatically placed back in his position of Police Chief Commissioner. The Minister decided to place him on non-active duty by separate Ministerial Decree of the same date, February 8, this time because Holiday’s position of Police Chief Commissioner would not be compatible with the suspicions against him.”
Using his client’s arrest, Essed stated, the Minister of Justice suspended Holiday from his function of Police Chief Commissioner of the Windward Islands by means of a Central Government Decree of Monday, February 18, a decision that was only served to Holiday at the end of the business day on Friday, February 22.
“Based on the information available to me in this case and my discussions with Holiday on the course of events to date, namely his initial removal as Police Chief Commissioner against his will as of February 1, his arrest on February 5, his release the next day and his subsequent recent suspension, I cannot help but wonder whether there are ulterior motives at play in this entire course of events.
“Apparently, the Minister of Justice is now telling people that Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards is the driving force behind the criminal investigation against Holiday. Whether that is indeed the case or not, I believe that there is in any event more than enough reason to have the actions of the Minister of Justice thoroughly reviewed,” Essed said.
As far as the criminal allegations against his client are concerned, Essed said he was convinced that his client was innocent. “My client has not forged any Immigration documents, my client has not broken any law, and my client has not attempted to commit the criminal acts which he is being accused of.”
