Dutch prosecutors seek €525,000 fines in Sint Maarten bridge bribery case

Dutch prosecutors are seeking a 525,000-euro fine against two subsidiaries of construction company VolkerWessels for allegedly bribing Sint Maarten’s former infrastructure minister between 2009 and 2014 to secure a bridge construction contract. The former director of the subsidiaries faces a separate 17,500-euro fine for his role in the alleged corruption.

The fines were reduced by 12.5 percent due to the lengthy duration of the case and because the former director received no personal financial benefit, prosecutors said. The Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), the Dutch tax investigation service, began probing the alleged bribery nearly ten years ago.

Volker Construction International (VCI) and Volker Stevin Caribbean (VSC) are accused of using Dutch consultant Ronald M. as a middleman to pass bribes to politician Theo Heyliger. The promised amount was 860,000 U.S. dollars. Heyliger was sentenced in 2020 to five years in prison on Sint Maarten for corruption and money laundering. Ronald M., a crown witness in the trial, previously received a three-year prison sentence for his role in facilitating payments.

Prosecutors said VCI paid consultancy fees to Ronald M., who then delivered part of the money to Heyliger in cash hidden inside newspapers and construction drawings. Heyliger allegedly used his influence to ensure VCI received the bridge contract, which was valued at tens of millions of dollars. Both subsidiaries are no longer active.

Former director Hans V., now employed at a different construction company, denied knowledge of the payments, telling the court, “I knew absolutely nothing about Heyliger being paid.” Responding to FIOD’s conclusion that there was intent, he added, “That is not how it really happened.”