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Patrol to Eradicate Paedophilia urges MPs to make law changes

PHILIPSBURG--Change the laws to impose harsher punishment for paedophiles and institute a sex offenders registry were among the calls the group Patrol to Eradicate Paedophilia (PEP) made to the Petitions Committee of Parliament on Thursday.

PEP's request for laws to be changed now heads to the Permanent Committee for Justice. Committee Chairman Member of Parliament (MP) Johan Leonard said he would call the Justice Minister to the committee after Parliament's July recess.

PEP representative Peggy Ann Dros-Richardson urged MPs to have Government boost its assistance to the Mental Health Foundation, to help the foundation increase awareness about paedophilia and have the required treatment for the mental disorder Read more

An Integrity Committee is most definitely needed

Dear Editor,

Okay, I have read the document on the establishing of the Integrity Committee (IC) and I must say that I CANNOT DISAGREE MORE with my good friend MP Christophe Emmanuel. I do not think that the establishing of this Committee is "bad for business" unless it is the business of nepotism and corruption that have plagued us for the last 25 years.

I also believe that some of the comments made by many members of Parliament misrepresent what is actually in the document. I am not saying they are lying but they are taking a very extreme view of what powers the Committee actually have.

MP William Marlin in his comments stated that a simple relationship with a Minister or MP can disqualify you from a contract or job, which according to me is really stretching the meaning of the document Read more

Parliament Ignore Dutch Govt Deadline For Agreement On Integrity Chamber Protocol

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - During the plenary session of the House of Parliament on Monday debating the National Draft Ordinance for the Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten, Member of Parliament of United People's Party, the Honorable Franklin Meyers requested that some changes be made to the document.

Whilst addressing that subject on the floor of Parliament, the MP outlined some of the areas where amendments should be made in the ordinance.

Meanwhile, whilst speaking on the floor of Parliament handling the National Draft Ordinance to establish the Integrity Chamber, Member of Parliament and leader of the USP, the Honorable Frans Richardson made clear that they had no intention of bringing a motion of no confidence against the Minister of Justice, the Honorable Denis Richardson for signing the protocol with his Dutch counterpart.

He is of the opinion that the issue was sensationalized by the media Read more

EXCLUSIVE: --- GEBE Board asked to Resign --- UP Leader called GEBE board members and asked them to make their positions Available.

>PHILIPSBURG: --- Reliable information reaching SMN News states that the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger contacted each of the members of the Supervisory Board of GEBE and asked them to make their positions available Read more

UPP, NA AND DP have to return extra monies to donors.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The United Peoples Party (UPP), the National Alliance (NA) and the Democratic Party (DP) were informed by the Electoral Council last week that they have to return the excess monies they received from at least two donors for the 2014 Parliamentary Elections Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Trouble seems to be stirring up in the United People’s Party camp now that it is highly rumored that MP Tamara Leonard is working on forming her own political party which will be called the “Bush Tea Party.”
SMN News learnt that MP Leonard was called in by the UPP board to discuss any grievances the UPP Members of Parliament are having with the party and its leadership 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

I voted for improvement yet nothing has changed

Dear Editor,

Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address the United People’s party.

UP party, as a supporter of the united people’s party, I have a request in return for all my hard work and efforts in getting votes for the current government body.

It is only fair and understandable that while some other supporters/campaigners are benefitting from their input; Erno York has only received small but appreciated donations Read more

Current Board Member of GEBE was hired and fired for incompetence.

style="text-align: center;">Now leaking inside information about GEBE current saga.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A member of the supervisory board of GEBE is someone who was hired as a private consultant for quality control and subsequently fired for his incompetence. However, that person ended up being a member of the Supervisory board that is now calling the shots as to who should be fired and or investigated.
This board member who is affiliated with the UPP party was one of the persons that delivered the letter to Romelio Maduro on Wednesday informing him that Friday is his last day on the job Read more

UP board congratulates Hiro Shigimoto

Press release

Philipsburg -- The board of the United People's Party (UP) wishes to congratulate Hiro Shigimoto on his full acquittal from all charges by the Court of First Instance on Thursday. 

 "This is a clear indication of vindication as we know this has been a long judicial journey," the UP board declared. 

 Hiro Shigimoto was a former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigimoto under a UP supported government. 

 "We strongly believe this positive news will be well received by his family and longstanding well-wishers," the UP board added. 

"May Mr Read more

Sxm Services Provider Not Paid For Services Rendered By Gebe

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Local Public Relations and Marketing Company SXM Services Provider has issued a release stating that the Supervisory Board of NV GEBE must first clean up their own mess and ensure that COO R. Maduro pays the bills he has for services he requested on behalf of NV GEBE.

Our company is duly registered and has provided all information requested by the Management Team, since it learnt that the Supervisory Board started questioning how it was possible that a local company got to make money from NV GEBE when so many international consultancy firms are out there.

SXM Services Provider says it was contracted early this year, first to provide media and public relations services to help turn around what was believed to be a negative image of GEBE, likely created by alleged mismanagement and the high cost of energy Read more

Up Board Congratulates Hiro Shigimoto

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The board of the United People's Party (UP) wishes to congratulate Hiro Shigimoto on his full acquittal from all charges by the Court of First Instance on Thursday.

"This is a clear indication of vindication as we know this has been a long judicial journey," the UP board declared.

Hiro Shigimoto was a former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigimoto under a UP supported government.

"We strongly believe this positive news will be well received by his family and longstanding well-wishers," the UP board added.

"May Mr Read more

Up Board Denounces Statements On Smn-News Website

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The United People's Party (UP) board recently met to discuss a number of pressing issues inclusive of a recent statement found on the online news site SMN-News.

"We the board of the UP board would like to denounce a recent statement made on one of the local online media outlets Read more

>AMSTERDAM/PHILIPSBURG:--- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson is in the hot seat now that he has signed an agreement with the Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs Ronald Plasterk to install an integrity chamber on St. Maarten, especially since Minister Richardson chose to place the Parliament of St. Maarten in an awkward position by placing a deadline on Parliament to approve the national ordinance by June 30th. Minister Richardson gave his Dutch counterpart the best part of the deal regarding the Integrity Chamber of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- A board member of GEBE Supervisory Board is over the edge claiming that the leader of the United Peoples Party is forcing his way over them and has used the Chief Operations Officer (COO) to do his dirty work and now that person is being penalized by the Supervisory Board.
The board member said that the COO Romelio Maduro took orders from Heyliger and hired a former journalist that will cost GEBE $120,000.00 annually Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---  "The country is now moving into the second half of 2015 within the next five weeks, and I am hoping that within that period of time we will have the two ministerial positions filled by competent persons in order to continue moving forward.

"We got to start putting the right people in the right positions. Don't tell me we can't find persons out of the 23 candidates of the United People's party to fill one or both of these two positions. Why can't MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson be the minister of health or other persons within the coalition, fill one or both of these ministerial positions?

"We need to raise the bar and start working in the best interest of this country Read more

Ministers to face MPs this week about missing info

PHILIPSBURG--Ministers of the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet are to be called before Parliament's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Relations to provide information the committee has requested for several months.

The committee became displeased two weeks ago with the sluggish pace of government's response and issued a 48-hour deadline for all information to be submitted Read more

Vote Buying Case Heads Back To Court — No Proof Of Class Justice 

St. Maarten – The vote buying case, commonly called the “Masbangu case” was referred back to the Court of first instance by the Court of Appeal in a verdict rendered yesterday. The case was dismissed by the Court of First Instance when the judge ruled that trying the persons who allegedly sold their votes and not trying the person to whom they are accused of selling their votes smacked of class justice.

The case concerns charges brought against four persons who were accused of selling their votes to the UP in 2010 and were brought before a judge in 2012, following which the case was postponed and continued on August 24th of last year, just after the 2014 elections Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Court of Appeals has rendered its verdict on Tuesday ordering the Prosecutor's Office to conduct a complete retrial of the Masbangu (VOTE BUYING CASE). Press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed that the verdict was issued on Tuesday afternoon.
Kamps said although the case does not fall under her jurisdiction but that of the Solicitor General Taco Stein she understands that the court ruled that the verdict issued by the Court of First Instance was not correct therefore a complete retrial of the case involving the United Peoples Party and its leader Theodore Heyliger must take place Read more

Progress Committee to give report to Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--The Progress Committee, monitoring St. Maarten’s development since it became a country within the Dutch Kingdom, is keen to present its report to Parliament. Parliament Chairman Dr. Lloyd Richardson (United People’s party) is “very pleased” about this request of the Progress Committee Read more

Sarah: Coalition ‘suddenly lost interest’ in Integrity Chamber

PHILIPSBURG--It appears, said Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams, that the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet and by extension the governing coalition have "suddenly lost interest" in the establishment of an integrity chamber for the country.

"It is revealing that suddenly the urgency is no longer there for our own 'thing,'" the MP said.

She has drawn this conclusion from the response of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs to her inquiry Thursday about the timeframe for the tabling of the draft national law to establish the integrity chamber in Parliament.

Gumbs, in an immediate response on Thursday to Parliament President Dr Read more

Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan: “The Word Class Justice Has Hurt Us A Lot”

Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan: “We have indicated to the Minister of Justice that the prostitution policy violates international treaties.” Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

St. Maarten – “The word class justice has hurt us a lot and the effect is that you are almost going to have reverse class justice whereby you are inclined to prosecute dignitaries sooner than criminal citizens, if only to prove that you are not practicing class justice. That is not good either,” Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan says Read more

Mp Lake Commends Gebe; Urges Seniors To Apply For Relief

St. Maarten –NV Gebe has extended its senior relief program until December of this year and this has led to a verbal commendation from United People’s Party MP Maurice Lake to the company for taking this action.

The relief for seniors began in 2014 while MP Lake—then Minister Lake—was the minister with responsibilities for Gebe Read more