WILLEMSTAD - KEM politician Michelangelo ‘Lo’ Martines has accused the Recherches Samenwerkingsteam (RST), a joint investigative team, of secretly following him since August of last year and unjustly detaining him. Speaking from prison, Martines has used social media to claim that the RST falsified evidence to justify his arrest. He alleges that another individual was falsely identified as a courier in order to create a link to a drug shipment, leading the judge-commissioner to approve his detention.
Martines' lawyer, Eldon ‘Peppie’ Sulvaran, claims to have uncovered errors in the investigation. However, the Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) dismissed these as mere mistakes, with the judge-commissioner remarking that "where people work, mistakes are made." Martines rejects this explanation and has announced plans to file an official complaint against the RST members involved.
According to the KEM leader, the OM has been attempting to link him to drug trafficking and money laundering since 2022, yet he insists no conclusive evidence has been presented. The charges include several drug shipments and underground banking involving large sums of money. Martines continues to maintain his innocence, calling the case a "phantom trial."
The politician, who is running for the KEM party as the third candidate on their list in the upcoming elections on March 21, demands that the court address his case on February 28. However, the summons indicates that the OM plans to request a delay of up to four months. The OM has stated it will not comment on Martines' statements made via social media.