PHILIPSBURG– Fennix Global Technologies plans to take legal action against the Government of St. Maarten for not honouring its 2015 commitment for the maintenance and upgrade of 25 electronic ankle bracelets purchased by the Pointe Blanche prison on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
The company, which is situated in several territories, said in June that the Justice Ministry owes close to US $200,000 in outstanding fees for these devices. The company has a three-year contract with the Ministry signed by former Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson and Pointe Blanche prison Director Edward Rohan in 2015.
The company continues reaching out to current Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman, but e-mails and calls go unanswered. Boasman has not tried to settle the matter out of court, according to the company, as it sent several e-mails to his cabinet and personal e-mail. Meanwhile, the monthly payments for the 25 devices are still being billed to the Ministry.
Fennix Global Technologies is one of seven companies in the world dedicated to design, develop, manufacture and implement technological solutions for the Criminal Justice industry. Fennix’s Criminal Justice Division, which operates under the trademark brand monitorINMATES, has current successful projects in Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Puerto Rico with both its Pro-Active Tracking (PAT) and Prisons Electronic Management (PEM) modules.
Fennix Global Technologies founder and CEO Chey Rodriguez said on Friday that he does not understand why the Minister or his cabinet is not returning his messages. The 25 units are not being used at present.
“I am a solution-maker, not a trouble-maker. I am willing to sit down with the Minister or any cabinet member and work in the interest of making the prison in St. Maarten safer. All I would like is to have my e-mails answered and find a solution to the agreements we already have with the Justice Ministry,” said Rodriguez.
Fennix Global Technologies is an American company established in Panama. Rodriguez has appointed Arthur Lugisse as Vice-President of the local project named monitorINMATES – Sint Maarten, which has a local technical crew. The company was contracted to head two programmes.
This newspaper contacted Minister Boasman’s cabinet recently and Press Secretary Fernando Clarke said the minister was looking at the documents signed by the prison and would communicate with the company soon. Clarke did not provide any more details about the situation.
The company’s next step is to hire a local lawyer and go after Government for damages incurred during the period in which Government had to make payments.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/68062-justice-minister-continues-to-ignore-ankle-bracelet-bill-claim
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