Author: The Publisher

Dutch newspapers about Checkmate investigation: “O’Neal A. childhood friend of USp-leader Richardson” GREAT BAY – The arrest of Checkmate Director O’Neal A. was also news for the Dutch newspapers Trouw and de Telegraaf. Under the headline: “Head security port St. Maarten arrested’ the papers reported that “the 35-year-old owner of Checkmate Security has been arrested. He provides the security of the port authority in St. Maarten and is suspected of tax fraud, forgery and money laundering.” The investigation against O’Neal A. is “part of an intensive approach of border-crossing corruption and fraud in St, Maarten” with support from the Netherlands,…

The story about accessibility – or rather the lack thereof – in Bonaire could have been written about St. Maarten. If we look at the main shopping streets in Philipsburg, there is no way wheelchair-bound citizens can navigate Front Street or Back Street safely. And we are not referring to potholes in the street, but to the narrow pavements that have been thoughtlessly beautified with palm trees, making it impossible for wheelchairs to pass. And in places where the palm trees have succumbed to neglect or to naughty actions by retailers who did not want them, the large holes that…

Now that the focus of corruption busters is on the ties between politics, private sector and the underworld it is a pity that under current legislation companies are still able to protect the identity of their shareholders. The Checkmate drama that is playing out this week is a fine example. Reports that MP Frans Richardson is “a childhood friend” of the company’s director may be correct, but what do they tell us about the real relationship between the two? Being someone’s childhood friend is certainly not a crime, or even suspicious, but there have been suggestions that MP Richardson could…

Dear Editor, My question is what are Insel Air and its shareholders hiding? Why are Korpodeko, the government, and the Ministry of Transport accomplices in this mystery? First of all remember that the government, representing the Curaçao people, owns 21 percent of Insel Air’s shares and Korpodeko controls that on behalf of the government. As a major shareholder, they should have several directors on the airline’s board of directors. But even though the Curaçao people are one of the, or perhaps the most proportionate shareholder in Insel Air, they have always been marginalized by the directors and the other private…

ORANJESTAD – The Court in first Instance declared the Tiara Air bankrupt on Monday. The airline’s lawyer Hose Figaroa confirmed the decision yesterday morning to the Aruban news site NoticiaCla.com. In the verdict, the court indicates that the facts and the proceedings at the hearing clearly showed that Tiara Air is in no condition to continue meeting its financial obligations. The airline also failed to comply with the agreements made in payment moratorium of November 20, 2015. Though Tiara Air says it has money in certain banks in Venezuela, according to the court, the company could not indicate whether and when…

When we received a story for publication containing the opinion of René ‘Koto’ Wilson about the screening process, we declined to publish it. Not that we deny anyone the right to his opinion – any letter to the editor is welcome – but presenting an obviously flawed opinion as a news story would suggest that this newspaper legitimizes Mr. Wilson’s opinion. And the fact is, we don’t. More about that later. This refusal to print the story did not sit well with Wilson and on Sunday night he sent us the following message; “I understand that you won’t print my…

Dear Editor, It is never ever a sad day when a monster dies. Fidel Castro, the mass murderer who “sadistically tormented the Cuban people for over fifty years”, died on Friday at the age of 90. Thousands of Cuban exiles understandably celebrated in the streets of Miami. Leftists in the Caribbean and around the world, meanwhile, dutifully mourned their fallen evil communist hero. So called progressives always grieve when the vicious enforcers of class hatred die. Many useful idiots openly wept in the streets of Paris and other parts of Europe when Stalin and Lenin died. Lenin once said, “If Russia was…

Minister Koenders about Oyster Pond dispute: “Negotiations about land border begin as soon as possible” GREAT BAY – The action of French authorities against Captain Oliver’s in Oyster pond “go against the agreement to maintain the status quo,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders writes in answer to questions from VVD-parliamentarians André Bosman and Han ten Broeke. Koenders furthermore wrote that negotiations about the establishment of the land border between the French and the Dutch side of the island “will begin as soon as possible.” “The relationship between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France are excellent and they are…

GREAT BAY – The Team Combating Undermining (team bestrijding ondermijning – TBO) arrested the owner of Checkmate Security, O’Neal A. yesterday morning after searches at the company’s offices on Illidge Road, at the port and at the Sun Tan Villas and Apartments Hotel (aka Rama Hotel) in Pointe Blanche. Corruption and fraud investigation Investigators seized a number of bank accounts and, in cooperation with the French authorities, they seized a yacht as well. More searches cannot be excluded, the prosecutor’s office said last night. Photo caption: Investigators enter the Checkmate building. Photo Today / Leo Brown It is the second…

The Ministry of Justice is of course quite right with its move to establish a stricter gun permit policy. It looks good on paper – except for gun nuts – but there are some practical concerns. It is for instance unclear where applicants for a permit have to go for training to get their certificate showing that they are able to handle a gun and that they know what’s in the firearm ordinance and in the criminal code. Also, the projected house visits to permit holders seem to pose a challenge. If all permit holders have to be visited at…