PHILIPSBURG--Returning money to government issued as per diem allowance for travel is not as simple as a civil servant coming home early and handing over the allowance given for the remaining days, Justice Minister Roland Duncan said on Thursday.
Repayment of the per diem allowance has been a topic of discussion, because of a complaint of possible embezzlement filed by dismissed Head of Finance Bastiaan "Bas" Roorda against several staff members of St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and former Tourism Commissioner now Member of Parliament Frans Richardson.
Speaking on The Lloyd Richardson Show on the Voice of St. Maarten Radio, Duncan said if a person is booked to travel for seven days and has hotel reservations for that period, it does not mean that if the person leaves earlier, they will be reimbursed.
Using himself as an example, the minister said that often he had had to spend more than his per diem allowance when on working trips. That allowance, which is between US $300 and US $400 per day, is allocated to the traveller to cover hotel room, meals and ground transportation.
He said Roorda could not give a clear indication of how much money had been involved in the so-called embezzlement, nor had he spoken to any of the people involved to get an explanation.
Speaking to the civil servants first about any discrepancies or issues is a must under the Ordinance on Civil Servants. The ordinance gives civil servants seven days in which to be heard on any matter affecting them, Duncan said.
The minister said that Roorda, who seeking reinstatement, failed to carry out the law and didn't play his role properly, but was being hailed as a hero in some quarters of the press. "[It's the-Ed.] typical colonial thing: the metropolitan [Dutch-Ed.] is always right and the local politician [is-Ed.] dumb, stupid backward, can't do his job and he's corrupt."
Roorda's contract was terminated with a month's notice on March 31. In the letter from government, he was notified that this had to do with sharing government information with third parties.
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