Den Haag – As per July 1st, 2020 prof. dr. Raymond Gradus will be reappointed for a three-year term as chairman of the Board of financial supervision Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the Board of financial supervision Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba and the Board of financial supervision Aruba. Prof. dr. Gradus is chairman of the three Boards as of July 1st, 2017. The reappointment of Mr. Gradus has been discussed in the Kingdom Council of Ministers of May 15th. The reappointment shall take place by Royal Decree. Prof. dr. Raymond Gradus is professor in governance and economics of the public…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — The judge acknowledges that former Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger has been brutally treated by holding him first in a filthy Philipsburg police cell and then in Bonaire, violating his right to visits from his family. His sentence for laundering nearly $4 million and taking bribes has been lowered as a result: Heyliger has to spend not 6,5 years, but five years in jail. Heyliger’s time in pre-trial detention will be deducted from the sentence. For the time being, the protagonist in the LARIMAR case does not have to go to prison. His doctors will be consulted first.…
~ Is it a good time now to take up the 2013 SER advice to split up the monetary union between Curacao and St. Maarten? ~ By Hilbert Haar The conditions the Kingdom wants to impose on Curacao for more liquidity support put the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten basically under higher supervision of the Dutch central bank – De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). This condition seems predominantly based on concerns about the viability of several financial institutions in Curacao, like the Girobank, PSB and insurance company ENNIA. These developments have resulted in new calls for the dissolution of…
WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG — In the so-called Larimar case, the St. Maarten Court of First Instance sentenced politician T.H. to a 60-month prison sentence for accepting nearly $4 million in bribes and money laundering. H. took these bribes from several companies in exchange for government procurement and keeping the relationship going. Consultant M., who acted as an intermediary, was given 36 months. His sentence is lower because he cooperated as a witness with justice to solve this case. The ex-director, B., of a construction company has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for paying bribes, money laundering and forgery. The bribes made…
PHILIPSBURG – The government of Curacao and the Central Bank (CBCS) will have to provide the Dutch National Bank (DNB) with a broad insight into the situation in the financial sector and into potential losses, the Antilliaans Dagblad reports under the headline: DNB krijgt een dikke vinger in de pap – in other words, the DNB gets serious influence on financial matters in Curacao. The increased role of the Dutch National Bank is a specific condition for the release of liquidity support to Curacao. This appears from a letter State Secretary Raymond Knops (Kingdom Relations) sent to the Kingdom Council…
By Hilbert Haar The verdict is in and former parliamentarian Theo Heyliger is facing a 5-year prison sentence for accepting bribes and for money laundering. It is a given that Heyliger will appeal the verdict; after the court of appeals confirms the ruling (or hands down an even longer prison sentence, a distinct possibility) he will take his case to the Supreme Court. The board of the United People’s party arrived at the rather curious conclusion that, once you file an appeal against a guilty verdict, you are still innocent. Are these people for real? I figure that an appeal…
PHILIPSBURG — The board of the United People (UP) party on Friday said that the hearsay trial of party founder Theo Heyliger resulted in a hearsay verdict, and hopes Heyliger’s legal team appeal the verdict forthwith. “We are disappointed, but the fight is not over,” the board said. The board in its response to the verdict in the Larimar Case maintained its position that despite years of creating negative and false impressions about Heyliger, the prosecutor’s office did not present any physical evidence of wrong-doing. Instead, the board said, what the prosecutor and now judge went with the “gospel word”…
PHILIPSBURG — The executive board of the Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Association (DSTA) has issued a press statement counteracting the public allegations made by President of Parliament, MP Rolando Brison, and “comedian” Andrew Dick in his Late Night show, in regards to the association’s activities on behalf of its members relaying important information and questions to government regarding the stimulus package. The press statement reads as follows: The whole world is dealing with a global pandemic, and St. Maarten is no different. Unfortunately, at this time, the President of Parliament, MP Rolando Brison, chose to lay a vicious public attack…
WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG — Het Gerecht in Eerste Aanleg van Sint Maarten in de zogeheten Larimar-zaak heeft de politicus TH veroordeeld tot een gevangenisstaf van 60 maanden voor het aannemen van bijna 4 miljoen dollar aan steekpenningen en het witwassen van percelen grond. H. nam deze steekpenningen aan van verschillende bedrijven, in ruil voor overheidsopdrachten en om de relatie goed te houden. De consultant M., die hierbij fungeerde als tussenpersoon, kreeg 36 maanden. Zijn straf is lager omdat hij als kroongetuige met justitie heeft meegewerkt om deze zaak op te lossen. De ex-directeur, B., van een bouwbedrijf is veroordeeld tot een gevangenisstraf…
THE HAGUE – “The vulnerability of the economies of the Caribbean islands is significant, not only because of the dependency on tourism but – in the case of St. Maarten – also because of the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and because in the past sufficient structure-strengthening measures have not been taken,” State Secretary Raymond Knops (Kingdom Relations) writes in a letter to the Second Chamber. The letter contains answers to questions about liquidity support for Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten. The first stage of liquidity funding was for emergency support. Aruba received 42.8 million guilders, Curacao 105 million,…
