THE NETHERLANDS — The Public Prosecution Service in the Netherlands is demanding a fine of 525,000 euros against two subsidiaries of construction giant VolkerWessels. The second largest construction company in the Netherlands is in the dock because of an old bribery case in Sint Maarten.
In 2013, the Causeway Bridge was completed at the international airport on the Dutch part of the Caribbean island. VolkerWessels is said to have gotten that job by paying hundreds of thousands of euros through an intermediary to Theo Heyliger, then the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure of Sint Maarten.
Key witness
That intermediary plays a leading role in the case. The consultant has been talking to the Public Prosecution Service as a key witness since 2019. He is said to have stated, among other things, about Heyliger: “there is only one boss on the island“. If the now former minister were not paid, VolkerWessels would no longer receive new contracts. The consultant allegedly gave the money to Heyliger in a parking lot, wrapped in newspapers.
The former minister has now been convicted of accepting bribes. The Public Prosecution Service hopes that the judge will now also impose fines on VolkerWessels’ subsidiaries and on a former director of the construction company.
The company does not yet want to respond substantively. “We will explain our side of the story extensively in court on Thursday,” a spokesperson said.
Source: NOS
