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>PHILIPSBURG:---Seven members of the Voluntary Korps (VKS) were awarded on Saturday afternoon for the time they took every weekend to train as officers of the VKS. The seven members were selected over a period of seven and half years of training.
The ceremony held in front of the Government administration building started off with the marching of the various troops including the officers of the Royal Anguilla Police Force, the Police Territorial, KPSM, prison guards and others. As the march and line up completed the ceremony commenced and was cut short due to inclement weather Read more

Skeletons at GEBE Prompted Prime Minister to ask for closed door session -- MPs voted for it to be public session.

>PHILIPSBURG: --- Members of the public and the media almost got shut out of the urgent meeting that was called by the National Alliance Faction to discuss the developments at GEBE when the shareholder representative Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs asked that the meeting be held in closed doors due to a court decision that will be forthcoming on July 9th 2015 Read more

Prime Minister Gumbs chairs first EOC Meeting

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs chaired his first Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Meeting last week Thursday.
Coordinators from the 10 Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) of the country’s disaster management system were present.
The two main agenda points was the Hurricane Exercise 2015 and preparedness for the Read more

Plenary Session of Parliament scheduled for Friday regarding developments at NV GEBE

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on June 26th. The shareholder representative Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Hon. Marcel Gumbs will be present for the session.

The plenary session is set for Friday at 1.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is developments related to NV GEBE and the position of the Managing Board and the position of the Chief Operations Officer.

This plenary session was requested by the National Alliance (NA)in Parliament, namely Members of Parliament (MPs) Hon Read more

EU Funding Available to Construct Waste Management Plant at Bellevue Border --- Deadline to Obtain EU Funds has to be completed by December 2015.

style="text-align: center;">What will this do to the MOU signed with GB Energy and GEBE?

PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of the French Executive Council met with members of Members of Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the usage of European funding that are available to both sides of the island.
Both President Aline Hanson and Vice President Guillaume Arnell told the Members of Parliament that the two sides of the island have to take matters seriously and work efficiently in order for the island to obtain the funding to construct some main projects, one being a waste management plant in the vicinity of Bellevue border Read more

style="text-align: center;">Was St. Maarten’s Entities Consulted --- MP Leona Romeo Marlin.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of National Alliance and Member of Parliament William Marlin asked several questions regarding the protocol Minister Dennis Richardson signed on May 23rd with the Dutch Government on the establishment of an integrity chamber Read more

> PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet is still waiting on answers to questions posed to Ministers Marcel Gumbs and Marten Hassink respectively. These questions were submitted through the President of Parliament in his letter of May 19, 2015 Read more

GEBE Supervisory Board of Directors met with Council of Ministers on Thursday.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Supervisory Board of Directors of GEBE met with the Council of Ministers on Thursday to provide information government requested from the government owned company.
SMN News learnt that the board met with government mostly to give full explanation as to why they took the decision not to renew the contract for the Chief Operations Officer Romelio Maduro and also why they sought legal representation.
The Prime Minister of St. Maarten indicated earlier that he will be ordering a forensic investigation at GEBE Read more

>Airport:--- Dignitaries from both sides of the island including Anguilla attended the opening ceremony of the renovated departure lounge at the Princess Juliana International Airport on Wednesday evening. Special Projects Coordinator Robert Brown gave an outline to the large gathering how management of PJIAE decided to upgrade the airport beginning with the departure lounge Read more

EXCLUSIVE:GEBE Supervisory Board Refuses to Resign.

>PHILPSBURG: ---- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs and the leader of the UPP Theodore Heyliger seems to have more problems on their hands now that the Supervisory Board of GEBE made it clear that they will not vacate their positions.
SMN News learnt that the leader of the UPP contacted the board members and asked them to make their positions available, the contact it is understood was made on Thursday last week, by evening that same day the chairman of the supervisory board Rene Richardson sought legal representation and basically sent out a press release stating that the company’s COO Romelio Maduro does not have any contract with GEBE and is currently on non-active duty.
The supervisory board of directors sent out a four-page memo to the staff and other stakeholders of GEBE informing them that they sent a report to the shareholder representative informing them why they took the decision not to renew Maduro’s contract.
The memo basically states that the internal auditor found a number of irregularities when an internal investigation was conducted on the COO Read more

>PHILIPSBURG: --- The USP board will be holding a board meeting on Tuesday to determine whether or not they will continue to support the current coalition or if they will leave and go back to the opposition benches.
SMN News understands that Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson informed the Council of Ministers and members of the coalition on Friday during the coalition meeting of the letter he received from Member of Parliament Frans Richardson also on Friday who asked him to resign effective immediately.
According to information SMN News received it appears as though several members of the coalition will not be voting for the motion if MP Frans Richardson brings it to the floor of Parliament Read more

St. Maarten might be looking at new elections at the Expense of the People – Is there a stand off?

style="text-align: center;">St. Maarten has a Constitution that must be respected.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The current coalition government have a real problem on their hands to solve, now that MP Frans Richardson has asked the Minister of Justice by way of letter to resign effective immediately.
Political pundits says that MP Frans Richardson is getting ahead of himself and that he needs to know that St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The leader of the United Saint Maarten Party (USP) Frans Richardson hand delivered a letter to Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson on Friday when he met with him at his office around 1pm.
SMN News understands that the USP leader made clear that as a coalition partner he got that Ministry and since he formed part of the coalition he is not informed on how the Justice Ministry functions.
After the meeting with the Minister of Justice MP Frans Richardson showed up at the Government Administration Building where members of the coalition met.
Attending that meeting which lasted over three hours were the leader of the UPP Theodore Heyliger, MP Franklin Meyers, MP Silvio Master, MP Maurice Lake, MP Leona Marlin, MP Cornelius de Weever, and MP Johan Janchi Leonard.
Also in attendance was Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson and the other members of the Council of Ministers.
When the meeting ended all Members of Parliament left stating that nothing happened and that the coalition meeting was called to discuss the budget Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Honorable Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on Wednesday administered the oath to a number of civil servants in the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall at the Government Administration Building.
Prime Minister Gumbs spoke to the civil servants about integrity and being productive while carrying out their duties to the nation.
The oath taking is part of the integrity compliance within the Personnel & Organization Department Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Supervisory board of directors of GEBE means business and they are sticking to the decision they have taken not to renew the contract  Romelio Maduro’s  as the Chief Financial Operations Officer of the Company.
Shortly after Maduro was officially informed by two of the board members in writing that he was not to be on the property as his contract expired on May 31st 2015, he retained attorney at law Peggy Ann Brandon to represent him. Not long after that the Prime Minister of St Read more

style="text-align: center;">PJIAH has to send letter of Apology to COM in order for them to continue processing the file.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs who is the acting Minister of VROMI said that he was accused of holding up the building permits the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) submitted for the Food Based Operations and fire station building Read more

Parliament still have the right to either accept, reject or make changes to the Integrity Chamber Protocol. Signed Protocol Eliminates Higher Supervision – Minister Dennis Richardson.

style="text-align: center;">Should a motion of no confidence be brought against Minister of Justice then it’s a motion of no confidence against the Council of Ministers--- PM Gumbs.

PHILIPSBURG: --- At a press conference held by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson on Sunday on the protocol Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson signed two Saturday’s ago in the Netherlands on behalf of the Prime Minster Marcel Gumbs, both Ministers said that the Parliament of St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Where is the Supervisory Board?

Airport:--- Ten more days to go and the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) may have to face serious penalties if they defaulted on the bonds they have secured for various projects. The bonds SMN News understand stands at $160M which had to be used up since 2014, but the lack of the building permits for the Food Based Operations (FBO) and fire station may well place the government owned company in a real predicament. One of things that can happen the bonds can be recalled because the funds were not used during the time frame in which it had to be used and PJIAE will also have to pay the interests and face a penalty while losing its financial credibility.
According to information SMN News received PJIAE signed a number of agreements and concessions with several stakeholders in order to recoup the cost of the FBO project Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Removal of Justice Minister Dennis Richardson will bring possible Shake up in Government

style="text-align: center;">Will Council of Ministers be getting a motion of non-confidence?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The removal of Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson by Member of Parliament Frans Richardson will bring about a possible shake up in the five member Government. SMN News has been reliably informed that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs already indicated to several persons that should Minister Richardson be removed from office he will tender his resignation Read more

style="text-align: center;">COO working without contract, promised contract till 2017.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The legal rumble and deal making continues at GEBE while the COO Romelio Maduro does not have a contract but signed a check on Tuesday June 2nd for over $60,000.00 for Alfred Harley who got a contract from GEBE which was not approved by the Supervisory board. Based on information SMN News received is that Alfred Harley a former journalist on St. Maarten secured a contract with GEBE through his company “St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Will he be used to execute MOU signed with GB Energy?

PHILIPSBURG: ---- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs reversed the decision taken by the Supervisory Board of GEBE to fire its COO Romelio Maduro. The decision was taken on Friday after Maduro's lawyer Peggy Ann Brandon intervened and threatened to file an injunction against GEBE and government.
SMN News learnt that the Prime Minister reversed the decision seemingly because the shareholder representative (government) was not consulted prior to them taking the decision not to renew Mauro's contract and to give him up to Friday (yesterday) to vacate his office and be off the premises Read more

St. Maarten’s International Airport (PJIAE) stands to lose Financial Credibility if Building Permits not Issued by June 15th.

style="text-align: center;">PJIAE placed in a precarious position due to lack of Building Permit for FBO, and Fire Station.

AIRPORT:--- Management of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) stands to lose its financial credibility if Prime Minister and Acting Minister of VROMI Marcel Gumbs along with the leader of the UPP Theodore Heyliger continues to stagnate the issuance of the building permits that were requested by PJIAE since November 2014.
Management of PJIAE signed agreements with Signature a multi-national FBO agency and locally based company TLC that is also an FBO professional Read more