PHILIPSBURG–“There is no criminal investigation ongoing against Emil Lee at this moment in relation to abuse of car number plates or theft of gasoline/using government fuel bonds to purchase fuel for personal use in the last months of 2017 after Hurricane Irma,” was the statement made on Tuesday by Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Norman Serphos to the media.
Serphos was reacting to an article that appeared in The Daily Herald stating that Minister Lee was under investigation. The spokesman, who had spoken to this newspaper on Monday, said there had been a misunderstanding on his part and he had mixed another case with the question asked by this newspaper about the Health Minister.
“I was confused with another investigation. I was not aware that you asked me about Mr. Lee. It is my mistake, not yours and it will not happen again. With our statement, we wished to clarify the article in The Daily Herald, as I was receiving many questions raised by the press,” he stated via email on Tuesday.
He also said there is no formal complaint at the Prosecutor’s Office against Emil Lee about this subject. It should be noted that the question posed to the spokesman via WhatsApp message was, “The complaint against Minister Lee by Christophe Emmanuel what will come of it?”
Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Christophe Emmanuel said in a statement on Tuesday that he had not filed a complaint against his colleague, Minister Lee, with the Prosecutor’s Office in early December.
However, he did submit a letter to the Council of Ministers on December 8, 2017, which was copied to the Governor, Parliament of Sint Maarten and Prosecutor’s Office. The letter was in regard to Minister Lee placing the MR4 number plate on his personal vehicle and statements made in regard to the Government-issued bond book for the purchasing of fuel.
He concluded the letter with a request to take the matter further: “I am therefore hereby requesting that an official investigation be launched by the Prosecutor’s Office into this matter as soon as possible.”
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/72587-prosecutor-lee-not-under-investigation
View comments
Hide comments