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St. Maarten spot on CFT vacant

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten representative on the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT Richard Gibson Sr. has resigned from his post as of December 1. This leaves the country without a member on the committee that oversees its budget and finances.

The CFT confirmed Gibson Sr.'s resignation to The Daily Herald on Tuesday.

Prior to this, CFT Chairman Age Bakker had said during the committee's quarterly visit to the country last week that Gibson and CFT had agreed to keep some "distance for now." No information about the resignation was given during that visit.

Gibson's resignation possibly was linked to his candidacy for the post of Finance Minister in what is said to be the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet Read more

style="text-align: center;">TODAY Newspaper Editor in Chief could have confirmed the screening reports by asking their Publisher.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Some of the candidates that ran on the UPP slate are enraged because they said they were treated like children when their party leader Theodore Heyliger interrogated them to see if any of them would have told him who leaked the screening results to SMN News Read more

style="text-align: center;">Prosecution Purposely delayed Investigations to Taint St. Maarten as a Country, were they instructed to destroy St. Maarten or are they incompetent?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The screening process that was conducted these past weeks by a team of persons including the prosecution can only be described as a one eye giant and the Prosecutors Office is failing to execute their duties or they are simply incompetent. At least two of the persons that failed the screening raised eyebrows Read more

style="text-align: center;">Prosecution Purposely delayed Investigations to Taint St. Maarten as a Country, were they instructed to destroy St. Maarten or are they incompetent?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The screening process that was conducted these past weeks by a team of persons including the prosecution can only be described as a one eye giant and the Prosecutors Office is failing to execute their duties or they are simply incompetent. At least two of the persons that failed the screening raised eyebrows Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Reliable information reaching SMN News states that Finance Minister Martin Hassink will be the scapegoat that will be used by the UP/De Weever/LRMarlin coalition. Sources close to the formation of the government labeled the Marcel Gumbs cabinet said that the incoming Prime Minister intends to ask Finance Minister Martin Hassink to stay on board until they find a suitable candidate to take up the post.
The source said that Hassink will agree to stay for a period of three months since he cannot abandon the ship now, Hassink even told members of the media when he was asked two weeks ago if he will stay on for the full term and he made it clear that he will for three months and after that serve as an advisor to government if they so desire Read more

Four minister candidates reportedly fail screening

PHILIPSBURG--It appears that efforts to put together a new cabinet have come up a few ministers short. Four of the minister candidates reportedly have failed the extensive screening to take up a post in what has been billed as the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet.

Those said to have failed the security and integrity screenings are finance minister candidate Richard Gibson Sr., health minister candidate Leroy de Weever, infrastructure minister candidate Peggy-Ann Brandon and deputy minister plenipotentiary candidate Lucas Berman.

According to people close to the issue, attorney and former minister in the Netherlands Antilles Gibson Sr Read more

EXCLUSIVE: Four Proposed Minister’s Allegedly Failed Screening --- Duncan under Investigation.

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PHILIPSBURG:--- SMN News has been reliably informed that four of the proposed Ministers that were submitted to the Governor of St. Maarten for screening allegedly failed the screening process.
According to the information SMN News received Petrus Leroy de Weever failed the screening due to the complaint filed against him by Judith Roumou. Richard Gibson failed the screening based on the ongoing molestation investigation against him and complaint that was filed by his wife Andrea Gibson Paul Read more

style="text-align: center;">CFT Ready to Grant St. Maarten an Extension so that incoming government can find amendments to balance its budget

PHILIPSBURG:--- The board of the CFT informed members of the media that they met with several parties on St. Maarten including the Governor, Council of Ministers and Parliament as they updated the various entities and gathered information on how St. Maarten is progressing with its budget issues. During that press conference St. Maarten's representative Richard Gibson did not attend Read more

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Council of Ministers received the College financieel toezicht (Cft) delegation on Thursday morning, December 4, 2014, to discuss the finances of country Sint Maarten, in particular the status of affairs of the budget 2014 and the draft budget of 2015. Cft was represented by Chairman Mr. Age Bakker, Member upon proposal of Curaçao Mr. Alberto Romero, Member upon proposal of the Netherlands Mrs. Sybilla Dekker, new Member upon proposal of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba Mr Read more

Lucas Berman tipped to be next deputy minister plenipotentiary

PHILIPSBURG--Attorney Lucas Berman is said to be the candidate minister for the post of deputy minister plenipotentiary in The Hague.

Providing he passes the security and integrity screening, Berman will join the minister plenipotentiary in representing the country in the Netherlands, particularly at the meeting of the Kingdom Council of Ministers. Minister plenipotentiary is expected to be Josianne Artsen, who currently serves as deputy minister plenipotentiary.

Berman, a junior partner with Lexwell Attorneys-at-Law, was born in Toulouse, France, and was raised in the Netherlands Read more

Governor Holiday receives list with candidate ministers. (UPDATED)

>HARBOUR VIEW:--- His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten, drs. E.B. Holiday, met with formateur Theo Heyliger to discuss the progress of the formation process. During the meeting the formateur presented the Governor with the names of the candidates for the function of Prime Minister, ministers and the candidate Minister Plenipotentiary Read more

Minister candidates submitted to governor

HARBOUR VIEW--The names of the minister candidates for the new cabinet were submitted to Governor Eugene Holiday by formateur United People's (UP) leader Theo Heyliger on Wednesday. The security and judicial screenings of the candidates for the post of prime minister, the six other ministers and minister plenipotentiary has commenced, according to the governor's cabinet.

Holiday and Heyliger met yesterday to discuss the progress of the formation process Read more

Marcel Gumbs tipped to be prime minister

PHILIPSBURG--It appears United People's (UP) party leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger will stick to his seat in Parliament instead of opting to become prime minister of the new UP/Democratic Party/Marlin-Romeo coalition.

Veteran politician Marcel Gumbs has been tipped as a possible candidate for prime minister Read more

Shigemoto also suspect in second investigation

PHILIPSBURG--Former minister of finance Hiro Shigemoto, who is the main suspect in the so-called Piranha case, may be facing more criminal charges in what has been dubbed the Piranha-2 investigation. Prosecutor Maarten Noordzij said this Wednesday during a preliminary hearing.

In the Piranha-1 case, Shigemoto (44) and Global Advisory Services NV Director R.A.G. (61) are facing fraud, embezzlement, forgery and money-laundering charges.

Shigemoto and G. are suspected of having made fraudulent transactions in connection with the recruitment of personnel for various government agencies that allegedly cost Country St Read more

Court Puts Vorst-Ruling On Ice

Family has to wait for decision on appeal

St. Maarten – The government does not have to pay the Vorst-family immediately for the estate in Cay Hill for which Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake signed a purchase agreement for $5.5 million. On August 21, the Court in First Instance ruled in summary proceedings that the Vorst-family had a valid purchase agreement and that the country had to pay $3 million within four days and the remaining $2.5 million according to the contract Read more

Up Party Inadmissible In Quest For Complete Voting Register

St. Maarten – The Court in First Instance declared the United People’s party and its president Sylvia Meyers-Olivacce inadmissible yesterday in a lawsuit that the party filed in an effort to obtain a full copy of the voters register.

The UP, represented by attorneys Peggy Ann Brandon and Brenda Brooks, filed the lawsuit against the Minister of General Affairs and the Government of St Read more

UP loses voters register case again, ordered to pay costs

PHILIPSBURG--On Wednesday, the Court once again declared the case launched by United People's (UP) Party Association and its chairperson and Member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Meyers-Olivacce inadmissible in the injunction it had filed to obtain a copy of the voters register.

After having been told on Tuesday by the judge that the injunction should not have been filed against the Minister of General Affairs and the Government of St Read more

UP’s case to obtain copy of voting register thrown out

PHILIPSBURG--The Court on Tuesday declared United People's (UP) Party Association and its chairperson and Member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Meyers-Olivacce inadmissible in the injunction it had filed to obtain a copy of the voting register.

Upon hearing the Judge's decision, UP's lawyers Peggy-Ann Brandon and Brenda Brooks announced they would immediately file a new and similar injunction against Country St Read more

Court orders government to purchase Vorst property

PHILIPSBURG--The Court of First Instance on Thursday ordered Country St. Maarten to honour the agreement closed between Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure VROMI Maurice Lake and members of the Vorst family to purchase their property in Cay Hill against payment of US $5.5 million.

Six members of the Vorst family had initiated summary proceedings against government on June 5, because it had failed to adhere to several agreements to purchase their property.

The Vorst family, represented by attorney-at-law Jairo Bloem, had requested the Court to order Country St Read more