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EXCLUSIVE: Politicians wanted Justice Minister to Rent Certain Buildings in St. Johns (UPDATED)

style="text-align: center;">Minister of Justice took seven months to respond to proposal that was submitted to his Ministry.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Indebt investigation as to really why certain politicians wants to get rid of the current Minister of Justice showed that certain politicians wanted the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson to rent some buildings that are being constructed in St. Johns area.
SMN News learnt that the politicians that were behind the Minister of Justice to rent these buildings that presently being constructed were to house the MOT, National Archives, a Police Sub-station and the Landsrecherche.

Further research showed that the developer was supposed to construct a building on a parcel of land that belonged to Claudette Labega on L.B Scot Road which is located opposite the De Weever’s property Read more

Emil Lee Attending Cto Meeting In New York

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Emil Lee is currently in New York.

The tourism executive is there for meetings of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) aimed at strengthen their private/public sector relationship.

The meetings are also taking place at a time when Car Read more

Editorial - Hands-off approach

It may not seem that important, but two Supervisory Board members at Curaçao’s ABC Bus Company were ordered to pay back an allowance they had given themselves to take over the daily management (see related article). They had done so after the director suddenly died in January, leaving the government-owned entity without a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The duo reasoned that as a result of Corporate Governance it would take quite some time before a successor could be appointed and the work had to continue in the meantime Read more

Heated public transport feedback leaves TEATT ‘a lot to work with’

PHILIPSBURG--Thursday night's stakeholder consultation on public transportation aimed at taxi and bus drivers was jam-packed and showed pent-up frustration on the side of attendees in the question and answer section, which took up the majority of time.

However, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Claret Connor concluded by saying the team had been given "a lot to work with, which was needed for more than one reason" and called it an "opportunity .. Read more

Book Fair opens with presentation of authors

MARIGOT--The 13th Annual St. Martin Book Fair with the theme this year “The Word” opened at the new media library in Concordia last night with a captivating address by keynote speaker Tishani Doshi, the award-winning Indian author, poet, novelist, dancer and journalist.

Her study on the way we use words, their meanings, their impact, brought them to life in a rich, poetic way that was enlightening and insightful. She is also the first author from India who has been published by House of Nehesi Publishers.

“We become strong by our words even though in life we may be sick or weak Read more

Semsamar managing directors past and present under judicial control

MARIGOT--Director General of Semsamar Marie-Paule Bélénus-Romana and her predecessor Jean-Paul Fischer were taken into 48-hour custody in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on Monday, where they were placed under judicial control and "mise en examen."

On Wednesday, they appeared before a Judge of Instruction. The Judge's decision was based on "suspicion of conflicts of interest, misappropriation of funds and favouritism."

The development is the latest in a three-year investigation into the operations of Semsamar, and follows various revelations that emerged from the so-called Milos report and audit of the company Read more

Pentagon chief gathers diplomats, brass for Russia strategy talk

STUTTGART--U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday the situation with Russia had taken a "sad turn" and he was gathering U.S. military leaders and diplomats to assess the effectiveness of NATO strategy toward Moscow in response to the Ukraine crisis.
  The gathering of two dozen U.S. military leaders and ambassadors based in Europe will take place on Friday in Stuttgart at the headquarters of U.S Read more

Ukraine’s president warns of Russian invasion threat

KIEV--Ukraine's president told his military on Thursday to prepare for a possible "full-scale invasion" by Russia all along their joint border, a day after the worst fighting with Russian-backed separatists in months.
  His address in parliament was one of the first times Petro Poroshenko has used the word "invasion" to refer to Russia's behaviour since the start of a separatist rebellion in the east in which the United Nations says more than 6,400 people have been killed.
  Referring to a 12-hour firefight involving artillery on both sides on Wednesday when Ukraine says the rebels tried to take the town of Maryinka, Poroshenko said: "There is a colossal threat of a renewal of large-scale military operations from the side of the Russian-terrorist groups."
  "The military must be ready as much for a renewal of an offensive by the enemy in the Donbass as they are for a full-scale invasion along the whole length of the border with Russia Read more

The horse behind the cart, again!

Dear Editor,

I read in the newspapers some days ago that SCDF has decided that from Carnival 2016, international bands will no longer be allowed to play on the road during the Jouvert Morning jump-up parade. This will be left for the local bands only. As a matter of fact, they intend to have two Jouvert morning jump-ups. At first this may sound like good news for the ears of all Jouvert lovers, and one might even think that we are moving forward, but we are simply putting the horse at the back of the cart again.

First of all, depriving the international bands from playing on the road during the Jouvert morning jump-up leaves less choice of bands for the revellers to jam with Read more

Government remains unresponsive to questions from the members of Parliament and from the public at large.

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Given this fact, I have now turned to the Chair of the Parliament for his intervention. Make no mistake, the Chairperson of Parliament was appointed to serve in that position as part of the political agreements between those parties and factions that support the government. That is an acceptable practice.

However, once in that position, the chairperson represents the entire parliament and should in my opinion act as a bridge between Parliament and the Government. The Chairperson of parliament should also guide and provide leadership to Parliament.

I have therefore turned to MP Dr 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

>DAWN BEACH:--- Last month, Princess Heights Luxury Boutique Hotel (www.princessheights.com) in St. Maarten was officially awarded the “Certificate of Recognition for Exceptional Guest Ratings and Reviews” by the international online travel agency Hotels.com, part of Expedia Inc., one of the most important online travel corporations in the world.
This certificate recognizes accommodation properties which receive the highest guest reviews and ratings as part of the feedback that guests leave at Hotels.com regarding the service provided by the property they booked.
“This latest award is an affirmation of the commitment and dedication of every staff member at Princess Heights Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Politicians wanted Justice Minister to Rent Certain Buildings in St. Johns

style="text-align: center;">All got negative advice, rent increased by 40% -- thus Minister of Justice must go

PHILIPSBURG:--- Indebt investigation as to really why certain politicians namely, MP Frans Richardson wants to remove Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson showed that certain politicians wanted the Minister of Justice to rent some buildings that are being constructed in St Read more

Minister Of Education And Youth Affairs Bourne-Gumbs Reports On Child Rights In Geneva

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – On May 27, 2015, the Committee on the Rights of the Child considered the fourth periodic report of the Netherlands on its implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its initial report under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Due to the absence of Dutch State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport Hon. Martin van Rijn as delegation leader, Sint Maarten's Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Affairs Hon Read more

Ceo Uts Eastern Caribbean Carty Introduces 4G Lte Plans To Minister Of Telecommunications Connor And Btp-Sxm

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten - On Thursday morning, Glen Carty, UTS Eastern Caribbean Division Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Brad Xuan, President of Carrier Business Huawei Caribbean, gave a presentation to Minister of Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor and representatives from the Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten (BTP-SXM) at UTS Headquarters in Philipsburg, regarding the company's move into 4G LTE technology for enterprise and consumer business on Sint Maarten/St Read more

Princess Heights Hotel, St. Maarten, Awarded With Certificate Of Recognition By Hotels.Com

DAWN BEACH, St. Maarten – Last month, Princess Heights Luxury Boutique Hotel (www.princessheights.com) in St. Maarten was officially awarded the "Certificate of Recognition for Exceptional Guest Ratings and Reviews" by the international online travel agency Hotels.com, part of Expedia Inc., one of the most important online travel corporations in the world.

This certificate recognizes accommodation properties which receive the highest guest reviews and ratings as part of the feedback that guests leave at Hotels.com regarding the service provided by the property they booked.

"This latest award is an affirmation of the commitment and dedication of every staff member at Princess Heights Read more

Mp Wescot-Williams Seeking Response From Government To Questions Asked

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Government remains unresponsive to questions from the members of Parliament and from the public at large.

Given this fact, I have now turned to the Chair of the Parliament for his intervention. Make no mistake, the Chairperson of Parliament was appointed to serve in that position as part of the political agreements between those parties and factions that support the government. That is an acceptable practice.

However, once in that position, the chairperson represents the entire parliament and should in my opinion act as a bridge between Parliament and the Government Read more

Four suspects to go on trial for Atlantis robbery

PHILIPSBURG--Four suspects are to go on trial June 24 for involvement in an attempted armed robbery at Atlantis Casino on November 16, 2014.

Three of these suspects, K.D. (19), C.M.B. (21) and C.A.H. (21), were already called before a Judge on March 25, only to hear the prosecutor and one of their lawyers requesting a delay in the hearing of their cases. A fourth suspect was led before a Judge at the Court of First Instance on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp said in March that a fourth suspect, B.A.E.W (22), was arrested in this case Read more

Abattoir in Grand Case is finally inaugurated

MARIGOT--After false starts, debates and long periods of dormancy when the file was shelved, the long-awaited abattoir in Mill Run, Grand Case, finally reached the finish line and was inaugurated Tuesday in the presence of elected officials and the operators of the facility.

President of the Territorial Council Aline Hanson in her address noted the then Municipal Council in 2001 first voted in favour of the construction of an abattoir before chronicling a time-line of events where the project frequently stalled over the years.

Although the building was completed in 2009 one of the main setbacks was the delay in obtaining sanitation and hygiene certification and various modifications had to be made, particularly in terms of the building's proximity to the adjacent Central Kitchen, which in itself was a point of controversy.

The 1,070,000 euro cost of the building was financed by Europe, the State, the Region and the Department, and in part by the then Commune of St Read more

Speeches, humour and anecdotes mark Préfet Chopin’s departure

MARIGOT--Tributes were paid to Préfet Délégué Philippe Chopin for dedicated service to St. Martin and St. Barths during his near-five-year tenure as the State’s highest representative, at a cocktail party in the Préfecture on Tuesday evening where he was presented with numerous gifts as tokens of appreciation.

Chopin takes on a new posting as a fully-fledged Préfet for the Region of Creuse in Central France.

As usual on such occasions, the Préfecture’s conference room was packed with representatives of all of the institutions, Gendarmerie, Police Territorial and border police (PAF) among them, with whom the Préfet worked.

The guest list included Dutch-side dignitaries Governor Eugene Holiday, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Justice Minister Dennis Richardson while from the French side former Senator Louis-Constant Fleming and former Presidents of the Collectivité Frantz Gumbs and Alain Richardson were present Read more

USP to discuss possible removal of minister today

PHILIPSBURG--The possible removal of Justice Minister Dennis Richardson by the United St. Maarten Party (USP) will be discussed in a special meeting of the party’s board and advisors in the Parliament Building today, Thursday, at 6:30pm.

USP has been in control of the Justice portfolio since earlier this year, but is yet to place its own minister Read more

Editorial - Not allowed

The new Penal Code that went into effect June 1 (see related story) contains some important matters of which the general public should be aware. For one thing, the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages to minors under the age of 18 is now officially prohibited, with a maximum penalty of six months in prison or a NAf. 7,500 fine.

However, the National Licence Ordinance still has 16 as the minimum drinking age, a discrepancy the local Lions Club recently requested that Parliament eliminate 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

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Sunday June 7th the yearly International Triathlon race organized by the “Friendly Island Cycling Association” will be held. In connection with this race a meeting was held at the Philipsburg Police Station between this association represented by Mr. Juan Pablo Piscione and representatives of the KPSM. The main topic of this meeting was to discuss the route of the race, the alternative routes that can be used when the race is taking place and the safety and security of the participants.
The race will commence at 07.00 a.m Read more