By Political Analyst, Julio R. Romney Knowledge is understanding – with the swearing in of the Council of Ministers on June 25, 2018, the ruling United Democrats/Sint Maarten Christian Party (UD/SMCP) coalition government found itself in a political dilemma with not having enough sitting MP’s in the Parliament to govern. The 8 to 7 ruling coalition government resigned 2 of its sitting members of parliament and had them sworn in as ministers, leaving the coalition with a 6 to 7 minority support in the Parliament. Consequently, there were not enough MP’s to form a quorum to convene Parliament in order…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – On Wednesday, July 11th, 2018, the notaries on St. Maarten issued an ultimatum regarding the lack of a functioning Mortgage Conservator at the Kadaster. If by Sunday, July 15th, no action is taken to remedy the situation, the notaries will collectively take legal action against the Stichting Kadaster en Hypotheekwezen Sint Maarten and all other stakeholders. The situation has become a serious liability issue for the notaries as they have not been able to fulfill their notarial duties and obligations to clients for the past three weeks. The Role of a Mortgage Conservator at the Kadaster An important…
We have said it so often now, it is becoming like a mantra. Not because something is common practice means it is legal. Banks have been blocking checks deposited from other banks for so long that it has become commonplace to hear the teller say that the check will be blocked for 5 days until the check clears, that we have taken it for granted. It is of course understandable that checks have to clear first before you get access to the money. But the law is clear on the topic of issuing checks. You are only allowed to issue…
PHILIPSBURG – Over the weekend, reports reaching our news desk indicated that the Prosecutor’s Office in Curacao at the behest of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) requested the assistance of the Prosecutor’s Office in St. Maarten to put liens on over ten properties of Sun Resorts Ltd NV. Alarm bells went off because one of the major properties on St. Maarten owned by Sun Resorts is the Mullet Bay property. According to press reports in the past, Mullet Bay land was on the books at Ennia for a value of 460 million guilders. The property was…
The Caribbean can issue a collective sigh of relief now that hurricane Beryl has dissipated, thanks to the Sahara desert dust in the air. But the question remains whether St. Maarten was truly prepared for this hurricane? The government rightfully took all precautionary measures this time, including putting the marines on stand-by. Yet, when we look around the communities, we still see too many houses covered in blue tarpaulin. We still see too many debris scattered around the neighborhoods. We still see too many yards not cleaned up, including our own backyards. Not a good sign. So are we really…
PHILIPSBURG—Economic Affairs Minister Stuart Johnson has lauded the grand reopening of the Caribbean Cinemas Megaplex 7 in St. Maarten a “much needed economic activity generator for our economy.” In a press release issued Wednesday, July 4, Minister Johnson commended the operators of Megaplex 7, on behalf of his Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunications, TEATT, for their demonstrated commitment to reopening and supporting the local economy. “The Movie Theatre was extensively damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and left both French and Dutch St. Maarten without the coveted outlet of ‘movie nights’ with friends and family.…
by Chris Morvan The woman I’m talking to is almost naked and so am I. So is everyone else in the vicinity, for that matter. But the woman and I can’t see much. Just each other’s head, really, and arms wafting around. The rest is a dull, ever-morphing blur. That’s because we are swimming. In the sea. Carmen (not her real name) is here on vacation. A gentleman doesn’t ask these things, but I gather she is in her 70s. We have been talking for 10 minutes and I know all about her family and a fair bit about her.…
Willemstad/Philipsburg – After having identified that Ennia Caribe Leven NV, Ennia Caribe Schade NV and Ennia Caribe Zorg NV, (ENNIA), has been non-compliant with applicable laws and regulations, the Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten (CBCS), in accordance with the applicable legislation, has instructed ENNIA to take measures to rectify the situation within ENNIA. Nevertheless, this proved to be insufficient for achieving the desired result. Consequently, the CBCS, within the legal framework, has applied for the emergency measure to restructure ENNIA and as such, protect the interests of all of ENNIA’s stakeholders. This was approved by the Court. The…
COLE BAY — The Megaplex 7 of Caribbean Cinemas St. Maarten in Cole Bay is now open. The cinema complex finally opened after being closed for ten months due to the damages caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria. The Megaplex 7 cinema complex has re-opened with brand new features in the theaters and with the possibility to book tickets online in advance. Read the company’s press release online here for more details.
GREAT BAY — Once again, Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger is at the center of rumors of impending prosecution. Tuesday, July 3rd, members of the media, in particularly those of the online news sites, were alight with tips and rumors about a scheduled request of the Prosecutor’s Office to petition the Common Court of Justice to obtain permission to prosecute T.E. Heyliger as he is a political figure and member of the Parliament of Sint Maarten. The hearing was scheduled to be held at 3pm in the afternoon. At the scheduled hour of 3pm it turned out that the hearing…
