Page 9 - MIN JUS AUG 06

According to Rene Herde

Minister of Justice needs to
account over corruption in KIA

“IT is unacceptable that employees earn thousands isted, but as bad as the situation is now outlined to According to Herde and Wever-Croes the states; ques-
be concerns him very much. “This is unacceptable. tions are now being formulated. In the first week after
of florins extra per month with trafficking within the The prison is currently a mess.” the recess, which ends on August 16, Minister Dowers
prison walls”, says Rene Herde, of the AVP fraction. will be asked to answer these questions. «It makes no
“Recess or no recess, Justice Minister Arthur Dowers Croes had his tricks to prevent employees from inter- sense to ask these questions now since most of those
has to justify this.” nally forming an illegal organization. “It is important involved are on currently on vacation.»
to change the groups of employees that work similar
Even opposition leader Evelyn Wever-Croes (MEP) shifts frequently and unexpectedly, and not
mentioned that she is preparing her states’ questions only the teams, but also the people
regarding the coverage of the illegal trade in KIA. “I who work in those teams. People
doubt we will ever get an answer. It is not the first time who work in the same department
that we’ve raised questions about the abuses taking every day for many years have
place within the prison.” a bigger chance to conspire.
That’s how it goes. “

Black market Wever-Croes doubts whether
the ‹unacceptable situation›
Last week detainee Johannes Span Ospino and for- within the prison walls will ac-
mer prison management member Charlene Oduber tually be addressed. «Once scan-
opened a book on the existant black market within dals come too close to a minister,
the prison walls. A corrupt group of employees would both politicians and the public
reap thousands of dollars monthly by trafficking drugs prosecutor look in the other direc-
and phones. tion. That is the core of the issue.
We’ve already seen enough examples.
Dowers claims to know about the corruption. He also It is inexcusable but it is not strange that
expressed that they would like to change the situation. officials will participate with it.
«If we do nothing about this situation, it will continue After all, they get the bad
on for a long time.» However a plan has not been example and know
developed yet. Last month, former prison director that the situa-
Trudy Hassell, caused a lot of commotion when she tion won’t be
announced that she was resigning from her position examined
because the staff of KIA did not appreciate the work anyway. «
she was doing there and the relationship between
them and her was not at all well.

Politicians are extremely concerned about the situ-
ation. «It is not only unacceptable that many people
illegally earn a lot of money, but also that the safety of
KIA staff members, inmates and ultimately the society
is endangered because of this,» said Herde. «We need
to take action. We want the minister to decide what
course of action he is going to take. If it is true that
thousands of florins are being earned with smuggling
as alleged, then it a really serious situation because
that means they are conducting a serious business
in there.”

Mess

According to former Minister of Justice Rudy Croes,
who was minister from 2001 to 2009, corruption
within the prison is something that has always ex-

ARUBA TRAVELLER - Thursday, August 6 2015 3LOCAL