Two women born in Sint Maarten but domiciled in part French were summoned to the local court of Saint-Martin on Thursday morning for having fraudulently received social allowances from CAF.
She thought that "CAF was for children"
The first, IR, aged 30, was present at the hearing. She received social allowances from CAF as well as the RSA between September 1, 2014 and May 31, 2016, although she did not declare her income, which was partly Dutch. “When I was pregnant with my first child, I went to the hospital where a lady from CAF came to see me and told me that I was entitled to CAF. As I do not speak and read French, my neighbor helped me to fill out the form ”, explains IR to the court *.
At the helm, she insists on the fact that she has always been told that "CAF is for children". So she said nothing when she started working and continued to receive benefits; she is employed by the police of Sint Maarten. When CAF sends him a letter, she does not understand it; her neighbor has left and no one can explain the contents of the letter to her. She then goes to CAF. "I was greeted by a lady who asked for my phone number, told me that she would call me back but she never did," says IR.
In addition to not having declared its income received abroad, CAF accuses IR of having modified a document or supporting document, in this case its partly Dutch address would have been deleted. In court, IR explains that her children - she has three - are educated in part Dutch and that she has lived on this side of the island since her house in Quartier d'Orléans was destroyed and that she mentioned this. new address to CAF.
To defend itself, IR repeats that she does not speak French, that she believed that "CAF was for children, that on the Dutch side, there is no help for children ...". In total, the sum she received during the prevention period amounts to 14 euros, a sum that she has started to reimburse according to a schedule defined with CAF.
The court handed down a sentence in accordance with the prosecution's requisitions, i.e. a suspended sentence of 2 euros
.
She did not indicate having found a partly Dutch job
The second woman accused of fraud is UR, aged 32, employed by the government of Sint Maarten. She is accused of having touched the RSA between February 1, 2013 and September 1, 2019 to the tune of 11 euros, while she did not indicate working partly Dutch. She was absent at the hearing but had been heard during the investigation. She then explained that she received the RSA before finding this job as a receptionist and did not know that she had to report this change in professional situation to CAF-COM. She also started the nap. The court sentenced her to two months in prison, which is double the demands of the prosecution.
* At all hearings, the persons summoned who do not speak French are assisted by an interpreter. (soualigapost.com)
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