PHILIPSBURG – The draft ordinance containing amendments related to labor contracts to the civil code is not “a watered down version of an initiative-law submitted to parliament in the past,” President of parliament MP Sarah Wescot-Williams said on Wednesday. When parliament was ready to handle to ordinance last Friday, members of the opposition were in the building but they did not sign in to the meeting. Because there was no quorum, the meeting had to be postponed. “What I heard is that we were handling the initiative law of the National Alliance but because it was watered down the NA…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – Oswald Dwayne Sherwood had a prominent presence on the docket of Wednesday’s court session. His name appeared nine times – four times for petty crimes like theft, ill-treatment and trespassing, and five times for demands to execute previous conditional sentences. The court was mild and sentenced the 33-year old to the 242 days that were outstanding from previous crimes. The court saw “no added value” in punishing Sherwood for his more recent criminal activities as well and left it at an unconditional prison sentence of 242 days. The court had postponed an earlier court hearing at the request…
Marigot — With the burning of King Moumou the end of carnival on French St. Martin came to a close. Described by StMaartenNews.com photo journalist, Milton Pieters, as “people with energy to burn”, revellers came out in full force for last lap in Marigot to enjoy themselves as the 2018 carnival fete came to an end while King Moumou went up in flames. Click here to view photos by Milton Pieters aka Robin online on Facebook…
GREAT BAY — The board of the United St. Maarten Party, in reaction to the detention of its leader MP Frans Richardson, on Wednesday said their leader maintains his innocence and expects to be fully vindicated of all chargers. The board and candidates stands behind its leader and his family and awaits with confidence the outcome of any trial before a court of law. The timing of the arrest has however not gone unnoticed, so close before an election. The party cannot escape the impression that the prosecutor is attempting to influence the outcome of the election. The timing is…
Philipsburg — The anti-corruption team TBO executed two searches in homes and one in a company on Sint Maarten. Arrests were made. Two suspects were arrested. One home was seized. The arrest of F.G.R. (1968) is the result of the “Emerald” research, an investigation into fraud and corruption in the Port of Sint Maarten. In that case, 7 suspects were still in session last week. In two of those cases the judge pronounces judgment on February 22, 2018. The other cases will be discussed further in the month of March of this year. The accused suspect is a member of…
WILLEMSTAD – Dr. Emsley Tromp made a failed attempt to recoup his salary for the months of December and January from the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten where he worked for more than 25 years as its president. The Court in First Instance denied Tromp’s request that the bank pay his salary over the months of December and January and his 2017 year-end bonus. Tromp received a gross monthly salary of 59,915 guilders ($33,472). In 2016 he started making expenses for legal assistance and fiscal advice because of a criminal investigation into his private finances and because the…
PHILIPSBURG – Kathron Fortune seemed at ease when his image appeared on a video link to the courthouse is in Philipsburg on Wednesday morning. Dressed in a black Nike training jacket he calmly followed the procedures in court as if he is not a suspect in the double murder of Edwin Rosario and Luiz Diaz Sarante on December 5, 2016. Fortune was on the run after he escaped from his guards on February 15, 2016, during a visit to the clinic of Dr. Paul de Windt in Cay Hill. He was serving a 21-year sentence for the execution-style murder of…
PHILIPSBURG – The Court in First Instance will handle the Widmor Brunache murder trial on June 13. Two suspects have been charged with killing Brunache on January 24 of last year in front of his house in Hope Estate. Hensley Hilarion M., 23, and Hashantley Fulgencio M., 27, appeared in court on Wednesday morning under heavy security. They were handcuffed and guarded by officers whose faces were covered with balaclavas. Attorney Brenda Brooks was in court on behalf of Marijke Vader who was unable to fly from Curacao to St. Maarten. She asked the court to terminate or suspend her…
MARIGOT — The adult parade which took place on the French side of the island may have fell short of the number of participating troupes, but the eight that were present represented a cross section of the society including the Indians and the Spanish. Unlike the kids parade which started at the Bellevue Roundabout, this one commenced at the original area in Agrement and took the same route that has been used over the years. The extremely colorful spectacle attracted thousands who took up positions along the roadway, some eager more than others to capture the unfolding scenes on their…
By Hilbert Haar More than once, during the more than ten years I have lived and worked in St. Maarten, I have wondered about the sanity of our politicians. The idea that politicians could have the same thoughts about me has for some reason never crossed my mind. I guess that’s my ego talking. But what about the sanity of the electorate – the good citizens that will or won’t go to the polls on February 26 for the umpteenth time since our island became an autonomous country on 10-10-10? There is something at work in the minds of our…
