SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – The Joint Court of Justice ruled today in the case of Erling Hoeve, the policy advisor at the Ministry of Justice who was suspended in 2016 as a result of the investigation dubbed by the Office of the Public Prosecution as “Robalo”, according to a press statement from Attorneys at Law Hoeve&Rogers.
Hoeve was accused of being an accomplice of human smuggling of two young ladies of the Dominican Republic into Sint Maarten in April and May of 2016. He was also charged with creating a system called DTAE (Decision to Allow Entry) to allow illegals into the island, which system the prosecution deemed to be without any legal basis. The prosecution also found that in doing so, Hoeve would have abused his position/function as policy advisor.
On April 10th 2019, The Court in First Instance acquitted Hoeve for the first charge, which concerned being an accomplice of human smuggling of one of the young ladies of the Dominican Republic. However, said Court ruled that the aforementioned other charges were legally and convincingly proven by the prosecution and Hoeve was therefore convicted for said charges.
Hoeve and his attorney in appeal, Mr. Jason Rogers, challenged said judgment, maintained his innocence, refuted and discredited the evidence used against him and requested the Joint Court of Justice in appeal to acquit on all charges.
In its decision of today, The Joint Court of Justice has acquitted E. Hoeve on all remaining three charges that were brought against him by the Office of the Public Prosecutor, as said Joint Court was of the opinion that the charges could not be proven. Hoeve was already acquitted for the first charge by the Court in First Instance.
