Good Governance and the Didam Arrest: Implications for Sint Maarten
Dear Editor, When discussing good governance, many typically think of government and governmental organizations. Several scientific definitions could be cited, but in daily life, it boils down to a few principles. Good governance encompasses transparency, accountability, responsibility, and the rule of law. For government and its subsidiaries, this More...
St. Maarten’s judicial professions calling for urgent update legal system
In the light of recent revelations during the installation ceremony of the new Judge Gerben Drenth, it is apparent that the legal system in St. Maarten is in dire need of a comprehensive review and overhaul. With More...
Acting Governor Groeneveldt unexpectedly passes away
PHILIPSBURG — Acting Governor Reynold Groeneveldt unexpectedly passed away on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. News of his passing soon spread quickly throughout the legal community on the island. “With his passing, More...
Supreme Court-ruling sheds more light on prescriptive rights
PHILIPSBURG — A five-year-old ruling from the Supreme Court about a land dispute between a family and the municipality of Heusden sheds some more light on the intricacies of prescriptive rights. The ruling, More...
Round table debate about Kingdom Charter: “Not correct to state that we are still a colony of the Netherlands”
PHILIPSBURG — Next week Tuesday, April 19, the parliamentary committee for Constitutional Affairs and Decolonization organizes a round table panel discussion with four experts about the Kingdom Charter, its More...
A legal review of Prescriptive Rights
A legal review of the issues surrounding Prescriptive Rights by Attorney at Law Mr. Reynold Groeneveldt brought to you by StMaartenNews.com. PRESCRIPTIVE RIGHTS I. Introduction: By means of the procedure of Prescriptive More...
Is the Constitutional Court such a good idea?
By Hilbert Haar St. Maarten’s judicial system contains a unique institution: the Constitutional Court. No other country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands has such a court. Is that good or bad? First of all it More...
Corstens pleads for judicial reform in the Netherlands
PHILIPSBURG — The Dutch judicial system could do with a makeover that had the potential to spill over to St. Maarten. Geert Corstens, a former President of the Supreme Court in The Hague made the suggestion More...
A closer look at the rules for suspending parliamentarians
PHILIPSBURG — On February 19, 2019, Theo Heyliger, then a member of parliament for the United Democrats party (UD) was arrested on suspicion of taking bribes from construction companies. The Public Prosecutor More...
Electoral reform: the Lynch-law under review – part 2/2
~ Curacao sticks to system that favors position on candidate-list ~ PHILIPSBURG – St. Maarten’s current electoral law – oft referred to as the Lynch-law after its architect – determines that candidates More...
