PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Former member of Parliament Theo Heyliger was found guilty of accepting bribes from Dutch consultant Ronald Maasdam at the courthouse in Philipsburg on Friday afternoon. He was also found guilty of laundering almost USD 4 million at the expense of the taxpayer.
He is sentenced to 60 months. Maasdam sentenced to 36 months.
The Prosecutor’s Office had demanded a prison sentence of six years and six months for Heyliger, who is one of the main suspects in the “Larimar” case about corruption in St. Maarten. The prosecutor formulated his demand against Heyliger and three co-suspects in early March during the week-long hearings at the Belair Community Centre.
The Larimar case concerns payments of bribes in connection with several major construction projects, among them the causeway bridge, and the laundering of large amounts of money.
