PHILIPSBURG--Another person was arrested over the weekend in the ongoing Octopus investigation into election fraud (vote buying) in the August 2014 Parliamentary Elections. This arrest again puts the count of arrestees at five.
The latest to be arrested is J. la. P. He was arrested over the weekend according to information released by the Prosecutor's Office this morning.
The another man, identified as R.F. by the Prosecutor's Office, was also arrested over the weekend, but he was released on Sunday. He remains a suspect in the ongoing Octopus investigation.R.F. was arrested at Princess Juliana International Airport as he disembarked a flight on Saturday.
With the arrest of J. la. P, five people, including independent Member of Parliament (MP) Silvio Matser, are in custody of the National Detectives.Matser, who was arrested on Wednesday remains in the custody of the National Detectives for eight days, a period that started on Friday when the Judge of Instruction granted the Prosecutor’s request for an extension of detention.
Also still in custody are two other men, E.F. and R.K. (believed to be former police officer Rogelio Koeiman) who also arrested on Wednesday as part of Octopus.
The tentacles of Octopus also grabbed one other suspect who has been in custody since Thursday. Initially, three men – W.B., J.B. and R.C. - were detained for questioning on Thursday. Only W.B. was arrested following the interrogation and is still in custody. However, J.B. and R.C. are still suspects in the case, specifically for bribery.
Another two other men were questioned on Friday morning. They were called in by the National Detectives “only for questioning,” according to Spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office Norman Serphos. The men, G.W. and R.Y., were released after questioning by detectives. A decision about their status in the case will be made later by the Prosecutor.
More arrests in the coming days as the investigation develops are not excluded by the Prosecutor’s Office.
Another arrest in Octopus case
