Politics
Louis Mussington's family-hiring trial postponed to January 11, 2027; court orders him to attend in person
The criminal court in Saint-Martin (Marigot) postponed Collectivité President Louis Mussington's family-hiring trial on Monday, October 5, moving it to January 11, 2027, at 8:30 a.m. He was not in court and must appear in person next time. He is presumed innocent, and no ruling on guilt has been made.
By SXM Daily ·
The trial of Louis Mussington, President of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin, over the hiring of relatives has been postponed to Monday, January 11, 2027, at 8:30 a.m. The criminal court in Saint-Martin (Marigot) granted the delay on Monday, October 5, and ordered him to attend the next hearing in person, according to Le Pélican, which had a reporter in court, and SMN News.
Mussington was not present when the hearing opened. The case was not heard on its merits, and no ruling on guilt has been made. He is presumed innocent.
What the case is about
Mussington is being prosecuted for « prise illégale d'intérêts », which translates as illegal taking of interest. The charge relates to decisions he allegedly signed as president between May 20, 2022, and August 24, 2024, concerning five relatives or people close to his family, the reports say. According to the prosecution's case as described by SMN and The Peoples Tribune, the decisions include transfers, a secondment and fixed-term employment contracts within the Collectivité.
The court has not yet examined whether any of these decisions amounted to an offence.
If convicted, Mussington could face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to EUR 500,000, according to SMN and The Peoples Tribune.
Why the trial was delayed
His lawyer, Dominique Nicolas, asked for the postponement. He cited his client's health and said the defence had received the case file too late to prepare. According to the reports, the defence requested the file on June 8 and again on July 22 but only received it on September 9.
The prosecutor opposed the delay. She noted that no medical certificate had been submitted and disputed the defence's account of the file delay, reports say. She also asked the court to order that he be brought before it, according to reports. The court granted the postponement but made clear that Mussington must appear personally in January. According to Faxinfo, the court said he must « absolument » ("absolutely") attend on January 11, or « le tribunal en tirera les conséquences » ("the court will draw the consequences").
Why it matters
Mussington leads the Collectivité, the government of the French side of the island. The case concerns how public jobs were filled under his administration. For now, nothing has been decided.
What happens next
The family-hiring trial is set to resume on January 11, 2027, at 8:30 a.m.; that date applies to this case only. Mussington and the Collectivité's four vice-presidents are also expected in court on Wednesday, October 7, in a separate case concerning Collectivité vehicles, according to SMN. All those involved are presumed innocent.
Sources
- https://www.lepelican-journal.com/proces-mussington-laudience-sur-laffaire-des-embauches-renvoyee-en-janvier-2027/
- https://www.faxinfo.fr/tribunal-proces-de-louis-mussington-renvoye-au-11-janvier-2027/
- https://smn-news.com/index.php/st-maarten-st-martin-news/51937-family-hiring-case-puts-mussington-under-judicial-scrutiny-trial-delayed-until-january.html
- https://sxm-talks.com/the-peoples-tribune/mussington-case-postponed-to-january-2027-after-defense-requests-more-preparation-time-the-peoples-tribune
- https://outremers360.com/bassin-atlantique-appli/le-president-de-la-collectivite-de-saint-martin-renvoye-devant-le-tribunal-pour-deux-affaires