Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG:--- Three senior employees of WINAIR namely its chief pilot Jeff Oliver, Chief of Operations Elvis Quealy and Chief of Security Michel Carter were suspended last week after management of WINAIR found out that they have been consulting with the persons that are involved in establishing a new Airline called St. Maarten Airways.SMN News understands that the person is involved in establishing the new airline is businessman Ralph Ledee from International Liquors and Tobacco (ILTT). SMN News contacted Ledee on Tuesday morning for confirmation and he said that he would like to speak with SMN News but he is not in the country. Ledee then hung up his phone when he was asked if he is involved in establishing a new airline on St. Maarten.SMN News further understands that another person that is involved in establishing the new airline is the CEO of Nagico Insurances Imran MacSood Amjad. SMN News contacted Amjad for an official comment who said he was indeed contacted by someone who wants him to invest in a new airline. Amjad said that he did not take any decision on investing in an airline. Amjad further stated that several persons would contact him regularly to invest in all sorts of businesses but he is too busy to spend too much time and energy with all these proposals. Amjad said it is unlikely that he would even consider investing in this airline.Further research done by SMN News showed that the liaison officer for the group of businessmen that are behind the establishing of a new airline is a former employee of WINAIR who now owns a marketing company. The former employee has been identified as Rolando Bryson who was fired from WINAIR for alleged theft. Sources at WINAIR said that Bryson remained in touch with some senior employees of WINAIR whose main intention is to steal the Government owned company ideas, and intellectual property. The source said that Bryson intends to work as a consultant for the new airline if they managed to obtain a license from Civil Aviation. Efforts made to reach Louis Halley from Civil Aviation proved futile. SMN News understands that Civil Aviation is currently processing the request which will probably kill the country's national airline.It should be noted that Rolando Bryson is a close friend and former employee of Michael Granger, self-appointed director of the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF). Just recently Bryson and Granger sealed a deal with ILTT to be the only person to sell alcoholic beverages at Festival Village during the 2016 carnival season.
One of the main questions now being asked is what role did the former Minister of TEATT Claret Connor played in what has been described as a sabotage towards the country's national airline since Elvis Quealy was part of Minister Claret Connor election campaign in 2014.
