WILLEMSTAD--The two citizens' complaints that led to the detention of former Curaçao Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte (MFK) and his pregnant partner Cicely van der Dijs were filed on September 18 and October 22 of 2012. The local Daily Extra revealed that while one of the complaints was anonymous, the other came from Henricus "Harrie" Verstappen. Schotte was held at the World Trade Centre (WTC) in Piscadera...
~ Suggests formation of kingdom business bureau ~ DAWN BEACH--Former Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister Etienne Ys minced no words when it came to exploring and encouraging trade and business in the Dutch Caribbean, when he said Wednesday that the biggest problem the islands face in progressing economically is their lack of communication. "The islands are not talking business to each other. We don't...
HRH Princess Beatrix (centre) laughs with various members of the Kingdom Youth Parliament during a formal event at the Belair Community Centre, May 21. Photo by Darlene Hodge. ...
MAHO--Inclusion and consensus-building are the highest responsibilities of leadership and government, said former Barbados Prime Minister, now Member of Parliament (MP) Owen Arthur, at the second annual Social Economic Council SER symposium on Tuesday. The former prime minister in his keynote speech said, "To build on inclusion your society must make sure you match aspiration and opportunity." Arthur...
~ Suspected of forgery, money laundering ~ WILLEMSTAD--Former Curaçao Prime Minister and MFK leader Gerrit Schotte (39) and his life partner Cicely van der Dijs (36) were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the criminal investigation “Babel.” Schotte and Van der Dijs are suspected of several counts of forgery and money-laundering, according to a press release from the local Prosecutor’s Office....
By John van Kerkhof POND ISLAND--Princess Beatrix opened the Kingdom Youth Parliament (KYP) at University of St. Martin (USM) Tuesday morning. After a short speech, the princess handed the gavel to 23-year-old St. Maarten student and Youth Parliament chairperson Trumane Trotman. For three days, 50 young persons ages 16-23 years from all countries in the kingdom will be debating different themes, among...
PHILIPSBURG--The General Audit Chamber has found that the financial information contained in the government's 2012 Financial Statements does not meet the requirements stipulated in the National Financial Accounting Ordinance and the National Ordinance General Audit Chamber. The financial statements contain "material errors" amounting to NAf. 45.7 million and budget over- and under spending. The chamber...
~ New loans of NAf. 145M pending ~ THE HAGUE--St. Maarten has a total debt to the Netherlands of NAf. 321 million, while requests have been filed in 2014 to borrow another NAf. 145 million. The total amount for Curaçao is much higher with more than NAf. 1.7 billion, and a request to borrow NAf. 250 million this year. Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated this...
PHILIPSBURG--Members of the first ever Kingdom Youth Parliament (KYP) and National Committee got acquainted on Monday, May 19, and shared more about their aims and objectives prior to the official start of debates today. Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix is set to open the KYP this morning at the University of St. Martin. Five teams of ten youths, who have been preparing for three months, will engage...
PHILIPSBURG--The Central Police dispatch received a call from Trendy Shop on Back Street on Friday, May 16, at approximately 7:00pm stating that an armed robbery had just taken place at the establishment. Police officers were immediately sent to the scene to investigate what had taken place. At the scene, the investigating officers encountered the victim who had been tied up by the suspects with tie-straps...
ROTTERDAM--Nine candidates for the May 22 elections of a new European Parliament tried to convince the Dutch Caribbean voters of their importance during a debate in Rotterdam on Saturday. Candidates present were Maruschka Gijsbertha of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats/PvdA, Marc Frans of the European People's Party/ CDA), Raoul Boucke of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in...
PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and the board of the Democratic Party have expressed deep concern about the recent spate of violence in the community late last week. She was at a meeting in Montserrat when the shootings and the brutal of beating of a child took place. The prime minister and DP expressed sympathy and hope for strength to survivors and to the affected families. "I...
PHILIPSBURG--The 31st International AIDS Candlelight Memorial was observed at the Philipsburg Cultural Community Centre on May 18, with the theme "Keep the light on HIV." The evening attracted a smaller crowd than expected, but attendees were moved by the event which focused on keeping Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) on the agenda and reminded the audience of the goal of "zero transmissions, zero...
PHILIPSBURG--Government will be able to purchase and complete the government administration building on Pond Island once the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) issues a bond of NAf. 40 million on Monday, June 2. The government building bond is part of a package of three bonds the Central Bank will issue for government on that day totalling NAf. 145 million. The bond issuance comes with...
THE HAGUE--Bonaire and St. Eustatius are most welcome to organise a constitutional referendum, but the options that will be put forward to the people have to be realistic, according to Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk. The minister repeated his earlier assurances that the two public entities, part of the Netherlands since October 10, 2010, were free to hold a referendum...
PHILIPSBURG--The man suspected of beating the young girl in South Reward, who has been identified only by his last initial P., will not be released after three days as family members of the girl say they were told. Prosecutor Tineke Kamps told The Daily Herald on Friday, that his pre-trial detention will be extended by eight days, at which point it will be decided what is to be done next. Normally,...
By Michael R. Granger MAHO--CEO and President of the Maho Group Saro Spadaro says the new Ocean Point at Maho Development, a five-star luxury development, will be “an epic change for tourism in St. Maarten" which will demonstrate that the principals at the flagship resort still believe in St. Maarten after four decades. Sonesta St Maarten all-inclusive Resorts, which includes Sonesta Great...
WILLEMSTAD--Inmates Liomar Winklaar (26) and Eni Carmelia (23) fled from Curaçao's SDKK prison Thursday morning after abducting two guards. A large-scale search operation on land, at sea and in the air was initiated immediately. The duo beat the guards, choked them until they lost consciousness, tied them up and covered their faces. The escapees had been in the prison workshop for their carpentry...
MARIGOT--The owner/manager of Zack Shawarma in French Quarter was shot dead in a robbery attempt on his premises Wednesday around 11:30pm to midnight. Gendarmerie spokesman Capitaine Sylvain Jouault confirmed Thursday that a man had been shot dead and another individual who had been shot, reportedly in the chest and leg, had to be transported to a Martinique hospital, where he is currently being kept...
SOUTH REWARD--A nine-year-old girl was attacked by a neighbour in South Reward on the morning of Thursday, May 15. The girl was walking on the road when the man, whom witnesses recognised, but whose name they did not know, allegedly attacked her and tied a rope around her neck. He then dragged her on the pavement by the rope, kicked and hit her multiple times before neighbours could help. The girl's...