By Michael R. Granger
The Daily Herald
Why, after six years, after a verdict and after a successful Parliamentary campaign when you fell just short of a seat in Parliament due to your position on a list, have you chosen to speak?
Why did you not defend your name?
Do you think that had you defended your name and honour more vigorously the outcome might have been different?
Both you and your husband have stated emphatically that you are not guilty of any crime. Do you still maintain this position?
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Then what are the criminal activities you were charged with? Explain why in your opinion these are not criminal offences.
Have you at any time collected US $3 million?
Did you falsify documents?
How do you respond to the notion that you violated the terms of the leased land not to sublet to third parties for commercial use?
Since your case has come to light, there have been no rules/legislation changes to the rights of long lease in St. Maarten. What does that say to you?
Do you believe that this was a case of what some have called “reverse class justice”?
Do you or your legal team know of any other instances in which the Prosecutor’s Office applied the same interpretation of tax/civil law, etc.?
What are the instances of prosecutorial misconduct that your legal team identified that you claimed should have been enough for the case to be thrown out.
It has been reported that the Prosecutor at one point denied allegations of a political trial, stating, “The fact that one suspect is a politician does not automatically make a case a political one,” while on the other hand it was reported that the Prosecutor took into account that the Buncampers were both public servants with a role-model function and should have served the Country’s interests, and also stated, “On the other hand, she was a representative of the people of whom one may expect even more that she sticks to the law.” How do you respond to these statements?
To watch friends and associates pull away from you because of the charges must not have been easy to bear. How did this case affect your family and how are you and your family coping?
Much of this case centred on the position of Mr. Walters. Why was he such a central figure and how is he a central figure in your life?
Is there a legal recourse for you to restore your good name and reputation from all of this in the eyes of the public?
If not, how do you counter trial and conviction by media and the court, and regain what is perceived to be the loss of public trust?
Is your political career over
Have you been in contact with many of the 200-plus people that voted for you in 2014, and how have they reacted since the verdict?
If one of these voters tells you honestly that he or she has been swayed by the “trial by media” as well as details the Prosecutor presented, how would that conversation with that voter go?
Today
Are there any regrets whatsoever?
Maria: It was a mistake not to be fearful of our Justice system
