PHILIPSBURG – In the absence of the pro bono lawyers who went on strike over a payment conflict with the government three weeks ago, the Court in First Instance blustered through a handful of criminal cases on Friday nonetheless. The court took pro bono attorney Geert Hatzmann by surprise when it decided to handle the case of his client Kamal Hamilton and sentenced him to 9 months of imprisonment for firearm and marijuana possession. “Wow,” Hatzmann reacted after hearing about the sentence. “I take it that the court is aware that all pro bono lawyers are on strike and that…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – Recently, the Consul General Zhang Weixin, paid a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, the Honorable Leona Marlin-Romeo, at her cabinet in the Government Administration Building. During the visit, the two parties discussed issues related to the continued efforts of working on projects that can be mutually beneficial to both countries. Photo caption – Consul General Zhang Weixin and Prime Minister Leona Marlin-Romeo.
By Hilbert Haar Seven years ago, USONA invested 1.63 million guilders for St. Maarten in TSIS – the Tourist Statistical Information System. The money is gone, but the system is not there – though it could have been. TSIS came naturally to mind when Abdullah Abdulkadri, the coordinator of statistics and social development at the Economic Committee for Latin America and the Caribben (ECLAC) spoke on Thursday morning in Parliament about the importance of not only having data – but sharing them as well. For a tourism driven economy like St. Maarten data about visitors is essential for policy making…
PHILIPSBURG – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) became a bit less abstract on Thursday morning for St. Maarten due to a presentation in the Central Committee of Parliament by Diane Quarless, director of the United Nations Economic Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). “We have to be united and we have to localize to make the SDGs real,” she said. ECLAC will be in St. Maarten on and off for the next three years to provide technical assistance. One of the entities that will be at the receiving end of this external help is the department of statistics (STAT).…
PHILIPSBURG — The investigators of the attempted armed robbery case at Jump-Up Casino which took place on Wednesday June 6th at approximately 12:15 a.m. has been officially identified as Daniel Cherry, 20-year old and residing in Sandy Ground on the French Side. As the investigation of this case continues the Special Unit Robbery is requesting assistance from the community to help identify the other two culprits who were involved in this robbery attempt. Anyone who has information that can shed some light on this investigation should get in contact with the Detective Department by calling 54-22222 ext. 213/214, the anonymous…
CAY BAY — On Wednesday June 6th at approximately 4:50 p.m. a police patrol was sent to Bahoe Drive in Cape Bay where it was reported that a concrete wall had collapsed and had destroyed several vehicles. On the scene the investigating officers realized that a section of the concrete wall surrounding the premises of Caribbean Concrete had collapsed on four vehicles that were parked next to the wall causing sever damage. The owner of the establishment was contacted about this incident and would take the necessary measures to resolve this matter. No one was injured as a result of…
June 7, 2018 – For immediate Release Re: NAGICO Insurance, A Caribbean-Wide Firm, is Doing Business in Territory Without License and Lieutenant Governor Warns Public About NAGICO Insurance Company We have taken note of the Press Releases issued by the United States Virgin Islands Lieutenant Governor; Gov. Osbert E. Potter, which was published in The Virgin Islands Consortium and the St. John Source dated 6th and 7th June 2018 respectively. We would hereby like to publicly state and affirm that NAGICO Insurances does not conduct any insurance business in the United States Virgin Islands (the “USVI”). Our Company does not…
PHILIPSBURG – The parliament begins next Monday with a series of central committee meetings. On Monday from 10 a.m. the committee handles the draft law administrative appeals and the establishment of the ad hoc committee electoral reform. On Tuesday at 2 p.m. the reconstruction of the airport is on the agenda, followed on Wednesday at 11 a.m. by a meeting about the results from the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation and the preceding tripartite meeting between the Ipko-delegations of St. Maarten, Aruba and Curacao. At 2 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon the central committee debates the situation at the dump and possible solutions…
PHILIPSBURG – The public prosecutor’s office wants to handle the trial against two suspects in the murders of Francis Widnor (Franky) Brunache, Taheba York and Sabrina Martes in one session. Investigators found that the same weapons were used for all three killings. The defendants, 23-year old Hensley Hilarion M. and 27-year old Hashantley Fulgencio M, appeared in court for a pro forma hearing on Wednesday, only to hear that their case was going to be postponed until October 3. Brunache was shot in front of his house in Hope Estate on January 24, 2017 – a Wednesday night – at…
PHILIPSBURG – Minister Jorien Wuite (Education) presented the establishment of a steering committee for repositioning and strengthening public education at a press conference in the government administration building on Wednesday afternoon. The committee will within the next nine months prepare an advice about the salary scale for teachers in public schools. Wuite said that these scale have been established ten years a go and that they actually need regular evaluation. Claire Elshot, President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union and a member of this committee, said that the complaints she has received about the scales over the past years have…
