PHILIPSBURG – There is a lot of discussion about the new work permit policy Labor Minister Pamela Gordon-Carty put into place per February 7. The Hospitality and Trade Association, the Timeshare Association, the Marine Trade Association and the Indian Merchants Association immediately rejected it and demanded that the minister withdraw the policy. So let’s take a step back and look at what is really going on here. In her introduction to the policy, as published in the National Gazette, Minister Gordon states: “The aftermath of Hurricane Irma has seen many foreigners employed with companies on Sint Maarten. In addition, several…
Author: The Publisher
WILLEMSTAD – The Court in First Instance in Curacao will handle the liability procedure against insurance company ENNIA’s major shareholder Hushang Ansary and other former managers on March 30, the Antilliaans Dagblad reported, based on information obtained from the information desk of the Common Court of Justice. Ansary will have to give account for the funds he extracted from ENNIA; the insurance company operates since 2018 under an emergency measure. The procedure against Ansary has also been filed at the Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York by the American law office of David Polk&Wardwell. The entities of ENNIA Caribe…
MP Sarah Wescot-Williams: VSA Minister’s Decision Regarding Work Permits is Haphazard and Uncoordinated. PHILIPSBURG — MP Wescot: “Where does this National Employment Service Center fit in the legal organization of the country? The announcement by the VSA Minister regarding her policy relative to foreign work permit applications is reason to query government’s modus operandi, as this comes across as a hasty and uncoordinated decision.” The organization of the country St. Maarten is regulated by national ordinance. According to that ordinance the Ministry of VSA consists of amongst others, the Department of Labor, responsible for policy. In addition, the VSA Ministry…
PHILIPSBURG – Port de Plaisance Boutique is the rightful owner of the Sunset Building in Simpson Bay. Attempts by its previous owners – United St. Maarten party leader Frans Richardson and Bureau Telecommunication and Post director Anthony Carty, as well as their company Paradise Real Estate (PRE) – to declare the auction of the property null and void fell on deaf ears in the Court in First Instance last year December 2019. Here is a recap of how Frans Richardson lost his beautiful building. In November 2011, Scotia Bank (now Republic Bank) extended a $2 million loan to PRE, to…
PHILIPBURG — The Sint Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) calls for an immediate revocation of the new “Policy on issuance of Labor Permits”, as was published last Friday February 7th in the National Gazette. The policy change is meant to decrease unemployment and underemployment of residents. SHTA fully aligns with the Ministry on this ambition, but stands vehemently against the policy. The SHTA’S objections to the change in policy are supported by The Sint Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA), the Sint Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) and the Indian Merchants Association (IMA) in this protest. The association stresses it will only…
PHILIPSBURG — The Department of Civil Aviation informs the public that with the implementation of the Ministerial Regulation limiting the use of RPAS/UAS or drones, there are zones now established where drone flights are prohibited, so-called No Fly Zones. In this article we will discuss what does this means for the many drone pilots exercising their craft here on St. Maarten taking aerial photos and making drone video footages by operating their aerial crafts, such as remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS)/unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones as they are colloquially called. Drones flights in these ‘no fly zones’ can only…
PHILIPSBURG – The Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) has presented the governments of both countries with a draft national ordinance aimed to establish a deposit guarantee regulation. Such a measure would protect the deposits of accountholders at licensed banks. For accountholders at the Christian Kingdom Cooperative in St. Maarten that went bankrupt in 2010 and the Girobank in Curacao that measure comes too late. The Central Bank says in a press release that it will discuss the draft ordinance with the two countries before it will be submitted for decision making and implementation, so it could still…
By Hilbert Haar When Girobank accountholders in Curacao panicked and started a run on the bank, the Central Bank was quick to point out that all deposits up to 10,000 guilders (just over $5,500) were safe and that this meant that more than 90 percent of all accountholders had nothing to fear. The other ten percent was obviously in a bit of a bind. This little safety net was based on international deposit guarantee standards according to the Central Bank. But the chaos at the Girobank seemingly has inspired the Central Bank to draft a national ordinance aimed at protecting…
Door Hilbert Haar Toen door paniek bevangen Girobank rekeninghouders in Curacao een stormloop op de bank ontketenden was de Centrale Bank er als de kippen bij om duidelijk te maken dat alle tegoeden tot een bedrag van 10,000 gulden (iets meer dan $5,500) waren gegarandeerd en dat dit betekende dat meer dan 90 procent van de rekeninghouders niets te vrezen had. De resterende tien procent had vanzelfsprekend een probleem. Het bescheiden vangnet was volgens de Centrale Bank gebaseerd op internationale deposito garantie normen. Maar de chaos bij de Girobank heeft de Centrale Bank kennelijk toch geinspireerd tot het opstellen van…
PHILIPSBURG – De Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) heeft de regeringen van beide landen een ontwerp verordening voorgelegd voor de vaststelling van een depositogarantieregeling. Deze maatregel beschermt de tegoeden van rekeninghouders bij banken met een licentie van de Centrale Bank. Voor rekeninghouders by the Christian Kingdom Cooperative (CKC) in Sint Maarten en voor verontruste rekeninghouders by the Girobank in Curacao komt het voorstel echter te laat. De Centrale Bank stelt in een persbericht dat het de ontwerp verordening gaat bespreken met de twee landen voor het wordt ingediend voor besluitvorming en implementatie; het kan dus nog wel…
