St. Maarten Private Eye

De Telegraaf - Cor Merx - God of St. Maarten, unmasked?

Murky Merx

Yesterday, De Telegraaf in Holland published a long article about Cor Merx and St. Maarten, offering up many details that have not appeared in our local press. No surprise there huh?

Unfortunately it is in Dutch so us non-dutch speakers will have to wait until some kind Dutch speaker comes along and translates it, or at least some of the more interesting points and details. I know there's alot of people waiting to read this so I'm sure one or two of them will do so and perhaps add their own observations and comments on the case.

You can find the article here in the Merx Thread.

I do have a few tidbits to offer in the meantime though, some from the article and some from informed sources. How I begin to sumerize this complex case is another thing altogether.

According to the article, one of the fraud charges against Merx centers on the permission forms he signed in order to have his ex girlfriend's (and others) phone tapped. In order to tap phones there must be a criminal case or reason to do so, Merx apparently put down that his ex girlfriend's number was related to drug dealing/smuggling. It would appear though that the misuse of authority in regards to his ex is just the tip of the iceburg.

Also involved is a shady deal concerning the construction of his house over near Dawn Beach. It is rumored that some criminal charges against certain construction companies, of which LICCOM is one, were either toned down or dropped altogether, possibily in exchange for building work or services.

It gets more interesting when you take into account the political connection with the DP. We are all quite aware that certain commissioners are adept at arranging the above type of deals, exchanges of favors. This is why it is important to take in the whole picture going back to Merx leaving and then returning to work for Richard Gibson.

If you have been following the news then you will know that Richard Gibson Jr is no longer Merx's lawyer and has been replaced by Jairo Bloom. My source tells me that the father pulled him from the case. It is also rumored that Merx has been fired from his position at Gibson and Associates.

This is all very interesting. Is Gibson abandoning Merx to the prosecutor or is he just stepping back into the shadows. It is without doubt that Merx has information on more than a few public figures and politicians. including Gibson. The question is, will he squeal? Although the Dutch law system does not permit "plea bargaining", I also feel pretty sure that Merx does not want to spend a few years in jail if he can help it.

It seems pretty certain that his career in law is over.

Another interesting theory to keep in mind about Merx's return is how it could be related to the change in constitutional status in 2007. It has been suggested to me that Merx actually returned to SXM because Gibson and the DP had him in mind for a senior position in the new status, an Attorney General or Justice Minister sort of position.

Oh, and don't forget about the fire at the prosecutors office the day before Merx's last day as CP.

So, all you Dutch speakers, get reading and tell us what it says and what you think.

Please post all translations and comments below here.

Dr. Voodoo

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