The Integrity Chamber presented its 2024 Annual Report to the Honourable Prime Minister, Dr. Luc Mercelina, on October 6, 2025. The report provides a summary of the activities conducted by the Integrity Chamber in 2024.
The year 2024 marked a significant turning point for the Integrity Chamber of Sint Maarten. Mr. G.R. (Rik) Bergman was appointed by Kingdom Decree per January 1st, 2024, for a term of three years on the binding recommendation of the founding members of the Integrity Chamber, Mr. R.A. (Rafael) Boasman and Mr. H.R. (Hans) Lodder. Additionally, the statutory term of Mr. Boasman and Mr. Lodder, both of whom first served as Quartermasters, then as members of the Integrity Chamber, drew to a close and preparations began for the change in composition and their succession.
Notwithstanding these changes, the Chamber continued its promotion of open communication, advising on and assisting in the implementation of policies and procedures meant to strengthen the Government’s integrity infrastructure. A focal point remained the promotion of the importance of integrity to the public and engaging in continuous outreach and awareness, ensuring that the principles of transparency and accountability are seamlessly integrated into the fabric of our modern governance, and that ethical standards are not only maintained, but actively promoted.
In 2024, the Integrity Chamber provided advice to Government-owned companies on the role, responsibilities and importance of the Compliance Officer within their organisation. An advice was also submitted to Government and Parliament on the importance of implementing integrity norms and values in the screening process of Ministers and emphasized the important role that ministers play in upholding trust and confidence in the Government administration.
Five (5) notifications of suspected misconducts within Government institutions were reported to the Integrity Chamber. The notifications fell within various categories, including, unwanted behaviours, unfair and non-transparent application of regulations, financial misconduct, and non-compliance with procurement procedures. The Chamber further received six (6) inquiries by persons and organisations requesting information concerning possible integrity issues.
From the submitted notifications, three (3) investigations were conducted. One (1) preliminary and two (2) full investigations.
Under the task of awareness, the Integrity Chamber conducted various activities, such as its third instalment of its “Let’s Talk About Integrity” video series, focusing on the theme, “Civic Participation and the Democratic System”. Additional awareness activities included a second round of student integrity sessions for sixth-grade students, integrity sessions for newly hired civil servants of the Government of Sint Maarten as part of the onboarding process and two (2) separate integrity sessions for newly sworn-in Members of Parliament as part of their Orientation Weeks.
The Integrity Chamber is proud of the opportunity to serve the people of Sint Maarten and looks forward to the continued promotion of integrity in 2025 and beyond.
The 2024 Annual Report of the Integrity Chamber can be obtained from the website at www.integritychamber.sx/publications, or via the button below.
