SXMElections.com

Three New Mps Sworn In Tuesday

 HARBOUR VIEW--Governor Eugene Holiday on Tuesday administered the oath to the three new National Alliance (NA) Members of Parliament (MPs) Romeo Pantophlet, Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Update: Four New Mps To Be Sworn In Soon

~ Credentials to be checked today ~

PHILIPSBURG--The four vacant seats in Parliament will soon be filled. The four persons to whom the seats were offered by the Central Voting Bureau by virtue of the votes they gathered on their parties' slates have accepted their posts.

Voting Bureau Chairman Jason Rogers told The Daily Herald that as of Thursday morning all four had accepted their seats to serve as Members of Parliament (MPs).

Perry Geerlings of the Democratic Party (DP) had not yet accepted his seat up to late last Wednesday night.

Now that Geerlings has accepted the seat, Rogers will inform Parliament of his acceptance Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Four New Mps To Be Sworn-In Soon

PHILIPSBURG--The four vacant seats in Parliament will soon be filled. The four persons to whom the seats were offered by the Central Voting Bureau by virtue of the votes they gathered on their parties' slates have accepted their posts. 

  Voting Bureau Chairman Jason Rogers told The Daily Herald as of this morning all four had accepted their seats to serve as Members of Parliament  (MPs). 

  Up to late last night, Perry Geerlings of the Democratic Party (DP) had not yet accepted his seat, Rogers had told the paper on Wednesday night. 

  Now that Geerlings has accepted the seat, Rogers will inform Parliament of his acceptance Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Government has ‘autonomous right’ to dissolve Parliament

~ Governor wrote in 2013 letter ~

PHILIPSBURG--“The right to dissolve Parliament by national decree is a constitutional and autonomous right of the Government,” wrote Governor Eugene Holiday in a letter dated May 16, 2013, to then-Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams when she tried to stopped the then-National Alliance (NA)-led Council of Ministers from invoking Article 59 of the Constitution.

The letter came to light this week as political tension intensified between the newest NA-led coalition with a majority in Parliament and the UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo-supported Council of Ministers, after the crumbling of the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition.

The current Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has held tight to the view that it is its right to dissolve Parliament in the face of the shifted majority in Parliament Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Country has 480 taxis and 263 bus licences

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten has a total of 480 taxi licences and 263 bus licences on the roads. There are 39 large “tour” buses with “T” (tour bus) licence plate numbers and a total of 31 “G” licence plate numbers. This is based on numbers given to Parliament’s Permanent Committee for Transportation by Transport Minister Claret Conner on Thursday.

He also informed MPs the moratorium on the issuance of bus and taxi licences remains in place until a study on the state of the industry is conducted Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Illidge to sit for bribery, loses right to be elected

PHILIPSBURG--Former independent Member of Parliament (MP)Patrick Illidge (49) was sentenced Friday to eighteen months in prison, six of which were suspended, on two years' probation for bribery. The Judge also revoked Illidge's right to be elected and imposed a ban from holding public office for five years.

During the hearings in this case, which took place February 11-13, the Prosecutor's Office had requested 30 months, 10 of which were to be suspended.

Illidge and Bada Bing brothel owner Jaap van den Heuvel were the main suspects in the so-called Orca investigations Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Lawyer: ‘Patrick Illidge used influence to get things done’

PHILIPSBURG--Former Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge is not guilty of bribery but has only done his duty as an MP in “assisting citizens in their attempts and efforts to persuade ministers and civil servants to do what they are supposed to do,” lawyer Ralph Richardson said Thursday.

Together with Bada Bing night club owner Jaap van den Heuvel (49) Illidge (49) is the main suspect in a case of bribery in which Illidge allegedly accepted bribes for the total amount of US $150,000 between March 2011 and October 2012.

In exchange for the money, Illidge was to use his power and influence to favour the Bada Bing owner in ensuring the Ministry of Economic Affairs or other government agencies would grant an operational licence to the nightclub and seek a change in its official registered address from Maho Shopping Centre to Sr Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Illidge and Van den Heuvel face prison time in Bada Bing trial

PHILIPSBURG--The Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday requested 48 months against Bada Bing night club owner Jaap van den Heuvel and thirty months, ten of which are to be suspended, with two years' probation, for former independent Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge during the first day of hearings in the so-called "Orca" trial.

Van den Heuvel (49) and Illidge (49) are the main suspects in a case of bribery in which Illidge accepted bribes from Bada Bing and Lunteren NV's owner for the total amount of US $150,000 between March 2011 and October 2012.

In exchange for the money, Illidge was to use his power and influence to favour the Bada Bing owner in ensuring the Ministry of Economic Affairs would grant adapted permits to the nightclub and seek a change in its official registered address from Maho Shopping Centre to Sr Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

‘Janchi’ re-elected, in spite of tie with Buncamper-Molanus

PHILIPSBURG--Incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) Johan "Janchi" Leonard (United People's (UP) party) can be considered the big winner after the validation of the votes from the August 29 Parliamentary Elections by the Central Voting Bureau on Wednesday. Leonard was short two votes to be re-elected to Parliament. He received those votes when the bureau reviewed ballots deemed invalid by the polling station on election night.

Leonard (UP #7) is an MP-elect for UP, in spite of the tie with former Minister Maria Buncamper-Molanus (UP #21), because of his placement on the party's list of candidates Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Judge to decide Tuesday on Bada Bing witnesses

PHILIPSBURG--Judge Koos van de Ven decided on Thursday to adjourn the preliminary hearing in the so-called "Orca" trial until next week Tuesday, to consider requests of the defence for additional investigations and the hearing of witnesses.

It is not yet known when the actual court case will be heard, but in any case not before mid-January 2015; most likely in March or April 2015.

In the trial, Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge (48) will be charged with accepting bribes from Bada Bing and Lunteren N.V Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Editorial - Wait and see

Tuesday's report that a fourth St. Maarten mobile service concession has been granted to local television station owner Elwaldo Arrindell obviously caught many by surprise. It seems the licence itself dates back almost two years and was issued by then-minister of telecommunications Romeo Pantophlet of the NA/DP/Independent 3 government.

While the news was met with some concern by both United Telecommunication Services (UTS) and the TelEm Group (see today's related story), clients unhappy with the two current cell phone providers on the Dutch side UTS (Chippie) and TelCell may take a different view Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Concession given for 4th mobile service provider

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten's fourth mobile service concession has been granted officially to Elwaldo Arrindell, who was granted a licence in August 28, 2012, by former Minister of Telecommunication Romeo Pantophlet after initially having requested one in 1997.

The concession will allow him to operate, which can translate to a somewhat worrying development for established local providers TelCell and United Telecommunications Services (UTS).

Although Arrindell was not available for comment yesterday, he shared with The Daily Herald last year that, if successful, he hoped to launch a new cellular phone company by the end of 2013 Read more

---

Candidates in this article: