PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten (23 May 2022) – Fighting and preventing further crimes in the community are not only dependent on putting (suspected) criminals behind bars; it is also essential to cut off the ill-acquired funds that drive criminality. The Prosecutor’s Office OM Sint Maarten is putting more emphasis on this front. Looking back over the past four years, a significant amount of money has been confiscated in various cases, ranging from as little as NAf 10 to US$232,900. From 2018 to 2021, approximately US$359,513.89 were taken from criminals or criminal-related activities. That total covers the amount also collected in Netherlands…
Author: The Publisher
~ Legality of Nearly Two Years’ Worth of Documents Could Be in Question ~ PHILIPSBURG — On Tuesday, 17 May 2022, PFP member of Parliament Raeyhon Peterson sent questions to the Minister of VROMI, Egbert J. Doran, regarding the function of Secretary General of the Ministry of VROMI. Since 16 October 2020, the function of Acting Secretary General has been occupied by Mr. Kurt Ruan, whose primary role in the ministry is as the Department Head of New Projects. “The appointment of Mr. Ruan to the function of “Acting” Secretary General (SG) was handled in an email from the Minister…
PHILIPSBURG — “There are many indications that the underworld and legitimate society in St. Maarten are structurally intertwined.” On September 11, 2015, this statement by Attorney-General Guus Schram enraged Justice Minister Dennis Richardson. “Prove it or shut the hell up,” he said at the time. The parliament was not amused either. Almost three weeks after Schram’s statement, on September 30, the parliament passed a motion that asked “the competent authorities to invite Schram to resign. ”The motion contained statements like “St. Maarten consists of God-fearing law-abiding citizens” and “the lack of action by the office of the attorney-general to…
PHILIPSBURG — “I have done nothing wrong,” former harbor CEO Mark Mingo said in an interview with Billy D on SOS radio station 95.9 FM. In January, the Court in First Instance sentenced Mingo to 46 months of imprisonment and a ban on working for any government-owned company for a period of six years. The case is on appeal and the outcome of this process is expected on June 22. Mingo took the moral high ground by repeatedly expressing his respect for the prosecutor’s office and for the court. “The only one who can judge Mark Mingo is the court…
PHILIPSBURG — In 2009 a detailed draft report estimated there was a road network maintenance backlog worth at least 360 million guilders ($201.1 million). During the following twelve to thirteen years, the situation has only worsened. This appears from a General Audit Chamber audit into the allocation of motor vehicle taxes. The audit paints a devastating picture of the way successive governments have ignored the law. Based on the Motor Vehicle Tax Ordinance, road tax has to be allocated to a road fund. However, such a fund does not exist and a significant part of road tax revenue disappears into…
PHILIPSBURG — A five-year-old ruling from the Supreme Court about a land dispute between a family and the municipality of Heusden sheds some more light on the intricacies of prescriptive rights. The ruling, dated February 24, 2017, is a clear warning for real estate owners: if they don’t pay attention they could easily lose what they thought was theirs. The municipality of Heusden, a fortified city in the vicinity of Den Bosch, went to court three times in an attempt to regain ownership of a parcel of land the family considered as its property. The first time the court sided…
PHILIPSBURG — Financial supervisor Cft is highly critical of St. Maarten’s budget for the year 2022. Because tax revenue is falling 12 million guilders ($6.7 million) behind 2019-levels, the Cft advises Finance Minister Ardwell Irion to introduce as soon as possible a casino-tax and a tax on imported goods. In general, Cft-chairman Raymond Gradus states in a letter dated April 14 to Irion, the budget 2022 does not meet the requirements set forth in the kingdom consensus law financial supervision (Rft). The Cft points out that the multi-annual budget shows deficits for the years 2023 until 2025. “The Kingdom Council…
CAY HILL — Due to international developments, St. Maarten General Hospital (SMGH) construction activities have slowed down over the recent weeks. As a lingering result of the pandemic, there have been delays in purchasing and shipping materials and steep increases in the prices of construction materials. These challenges make it unrealistic to build the hospital at the original price and by the original due date. SMMC and the contractor (FINSO) are working on a solution to address the increased cost of materials and challenges with shipping. The result of these discussions might be an increase in the overall SMGH construction…
PHILIPSBURG — Project developer Zebec intends to take St. Maarten Harbor Cruise Facilities (SMH Cruise) and others to court in an attempt to claim close to $100 million in damages it suffered after the port replaced Zebec with Ocean Drive Properties (ODP) as its preferred party for the development of a parcel of land within the port property. Attorney Jacob Cornegoor (Hoff Attorneys, based in Haarlem) wrote a blistering letter to SMH Cruise on December 17, 2021, that reveals the role of former Member of Parliament and founder of the United People’s party UP) Theo Heyliger in the “corrupt practices”…
~ Op-Ed on Media Policy by Ralph Cantave ~ On Tuesday, May 3, the world celebrated International Press Freedom Day, which inspired this article along with the recent press developments on our island. It is an honor to serve in this noble profession and I look forward to contributing towards the profession’s value, impact and legacy. As a member of the St. Martin press and representative of my media house, I have noted with deep concern the need to ensure that freedom of the press, as enshrined in article 10 of the constitution, is never trampled upon. Having been critical…
