~ MP Sarah Wescot-Williams wants hard guarantees from Government for the Uninterrupted Continuation of the Airport Reconstruction, Since They Condoned Sacking the CEO.” ~ Philipsburg, St. Maarten, 8 April 2021 – MP Sarah Wescot-Williams: “I want hard guarantees from Government for the uninterrupted continuation of the airport reconstruction since they condoned sacking the CEO.” Brian Mingo, the CEO of the Princess Juliana International Airport has been fired, with 2 months’ notice, and relieved of his duties immediately. This act by the Supervisory Holding Board has been long in the making and it would appear the 3-man board now feels strengthened…
Author: The Publisher
By Hilbert Haar The press release-parliamentarian, aka independent MP Christophe Emmanuel, is at it again, together with his public relation officer, mini market-owner Michael Granger. In his umpteenth press release, Emmanuel once more seems to dance to the tune of his outside handlers who want one thing and one thing only: the dismissal of Princess Juliana International Airport Chief Executive Officer Brian Mingo. This time, Emmanuel finds proof in an article of mine about the confidential Financial Baseline Report that Mingo is busy running the airport into the ground, happily ignoring the facts that inspired the airport-director to ask for…
~ Now is the time for a full forensic audit at the SXM Airport ~
~ According to Chacho now it is time to open up Pandora’s Box ~ PHILIPSBURG — The call for an investigation into the finances of the Princess Juliana international airport Ernst&Young Advisory recommends in its confidential Financial Baseline Report echoes a request Claude ‘Chacho’ Peterson, at that time a Member of Parliament for the St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP), made in August 2019. Related article: Report recommends external review of airport investments During a meeting of parliament about the situation at the airport Peterson asked Finance Minister Perry Geerlings “to undertake a forensic audit about what happened at the airport…
PHILIPSBURG — The airport’s financial performance for fiscal year 2018 resulted in a 16.4 million guilders ($9.16 million) overdraft. The total bank withdrawal led to a 12.6 million guilders ($7 million) overdraft. “It is unknown how these facilities were managed during fiscal years 2018 and how a 12.6 million overdraft led to a total outstanding balance of 16.4 million guilders,” Curacao-based Ernst&Young Advisory writes in the airport’s confidential Financial Baseline Report that it submitted to PJIAE-CEO Brian Mingo on November 8, 2019. The objective of this report was “to obtain a high level overview of the financial position per January…
~ Court schedules hearings appeal cases in April despite concerns of attorneys ~ PHILIPSBURG — Attorneys representing their clients in appeal cases are concerned about hearings the appeals court has scheduled on nine different days in April after the Common Court of Justice refused to honor a request to postpone these hearings for COVID-related reasons. The court has announced that it will not postpone the hearings. The attorneys have announced that they will be considering ways to further address their concerns to the court. On behalf of the criminal defense lawyers in St. Maarten attorney Cor Merx pointed in a…
PHILIPSBURG — Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs demands that the Netherlands provides 39 million guilders ($21.8 million) in liquidity support to St. Maarten before she signs the implementation agenda of the country package. In a letter to the Second Chamber, State Secretary Raymond Knops maintains that he is waiting for a clarification of the position of St. Maarten’s parliament about the country package and the draft kingdom law COHO (Caribbean Reform and Development entity). Knops points out that he asked for this clarification on March 26. The deadline for signing the country package was April 1. The Council of Ministers of…
Philipsburg –- On Monday, March 29, 2021, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and her support staff were invited to a meeting arranged by the Dutch representative’s office with State Secretary Knops. The meeting was amicable, however, State Secretary Knops still needed more reassurance from the Parliament of Sint Maarten concerning support for the trajectory of the Kingdom Consensus Law COHO and the country package agreements finalized in December 2020. Prime Minister Jacobs stated, “During the meeting, State Secretary Knops agreed that the Government of Sint Maarten has lived up to the agreements. As such, Sint Maarten is very disappointed that we…
PHILIPSBURG — MP Solange Ludmilla Duncan chairs the permanent parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs and Decolonization but during an interview on the USp-radio talk show The Review hosted by Khalil Revan it appeared that she was badly informed about the process surrounding the controversial petition the Choharis Law Group submitted to the United Nations on behalf of Parliament. After much dillydallying, Duncan said that she had “received” the petition before it was submitted to the UN but it remains unclear whether she or any member of her committee had had the opportunity to review the document, or to suggest amendments.…
PHILIPSBURG — The General Audit Chamber submitted its mini audit “Efficiency of government’s office space” to Parliament on Tuesday, March 30 with a rather embarrassing conclusion: the auditors were unable to analyze whether the current use of office space is effective. Facility Affairs, a department of the Ministry of General Affairs, is responsible for managing the government’s office space, but an office space policy is still a work in progress. According to the Secretary-General of the Ministry of General Affairs, this policy will include the number of staff per department and per location. “It is unclear why the government chooses…
