~ Appeal court ruling ~ PHILIPSBURG--The Public Prosecution services said on Wednesday that it shares the view of the Court that the role of United People's (UP) party leaders was "not sufficiently investigated" in the Masbangu vote-buying case, but said it had already made a statement in court. The Prosecutor's Office has appealed the Court's decision to throw out the case. The Masbangu investigation...
THE HAGUE/PHILIPSBURG--The Government of St. Maarten has informed the Kingdom Council of Ministers that it will adopt many of the recommendations by the Wit-Samson Integrity Committee, but not without reiterating its objections to the way The Hague imposed an integrity audit via the governor of St. Maarten and the "continued blurring of norms on the Kingdom level." In the letter dated August 21, 2014,...
~ Said to have been fleeing immigration ~ MAHO--The construction sector and Haitian community were plunged into mourning Wednesday when Haitian mason Dieucel Bosse (54) succumbed to injuries sustained when he toppled into an empty elevator shaft at the former Ocean Terrace building, currently under renovation at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. The body of Bosse, an S&R Construction worker, was discovered...
CUL DE SAC--Voters were urged to head to the polls on Friday and make a change by voting for the United St. Maarten Party, headed by independent Member of Parliament Frans Richardson. The party leader and thirteen other candidates shared first final messages of campaign for Parliament at the party's final public meeting at the party's headquarters on Tuesday. Richardson told supporters, "We are ready...
THE HAGUE--Members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament André Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party and Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) said on Tuesday that they were shocked by the decision of the Court in St. Maarten's vote-buying case. The Court of First Instance on Monday declared inadmissible the Prosecutor's Office's cases against five persons who were allegedly involved...
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...
PHILIPSBURG--Several government officials have expressed condolences and words of comfort to United People’s (UP) party leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger and former partner Debbie Zwanikken on the tragic passing of their son Curtis Heyliger early Wednesday morning. Curtis was the eldest child of his parents. He was killed in an accident on L.B. Scot Road. President of...
HARBOUR VIEW--Governor Eugene Holiday has submitted the interim progress report about the Integrity Inquiry to the Kingdom Council of Ministers in keeping with the provisions of the Kingdom Decree of September 30, 2013. A copy of the report has also been submitted to the Council of Ministers of St. Maarten. The report provides an outline of the work conducted thus far by the New York-based Accounting...
GRAND CASE--A 20-year-old man with initials L.M.H. was severely injured after having been shot. The incident escalated when H. had an argument with another man after which he was struck by two bullets. The incident occurred around 1:40pm on Monday, in Rue des Ecoles in Grand Case, Captain Sylvain Jouault of the Gendarmerie confirmed. Paramedics did attend, but the victim's condition was so serious...
WILLEMSTAD--Former Curaçao prime minister Gerrit Schotte (MFK) was released from custody Tuesday night by the Judge of Instruction at the request of his lawyers. The suspect in the "Babel" investigation into money-laundering practices and forgery was met by party supporters who drove to the police cells at Barber in the remote Western part of the island after hearing the news of his pending release....
PHILIPSBURG--Pupils of St. Maarten's six Catholic primary schools participated in a science fair on May 27, which included 29 exhibition stands prepared by the students. Pupils prepared for six weeks, carrying out their own primary and secondary research, as well as interviews with various organisations such as the St. Maarten Nature Foundation and NV GEBE. Pupils proudly presented their research...
PHILIPSBURG--Job security for employees of St. Maarten Telephone Group of Companies TelEm and United Telecommunications Services (UTS), the need for improved quality of telephone service, acquiring St. Maarten's shares in UTS and the appointment of a St. Maarten representative on the UTS board were some of the concerns raised by Members of Parliament (MPs) during the plenary session of Parliament...
THE HAGUE--The objectives to reduce the overrepresentation of Dutch Caribbean youngsters in crime, unemployment, educational and social welfare statistics in the Netherlands have mostly failed. Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Lodewijk Asscher stated this in a letter that he sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament last Friday, along with the 2013 monitoring report on the...
COLE BAY--A number of residents have been trying to appeal planned evictions from the emergency homes in Cole Bay by the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) for some time now. One concerned resident has come forward, stating that although he knew they had been trying to evict them, he found it unfair that he had received an official termination-of-lease letter on very short notice....
THE HAGUE--Gaining five seats in the European Parliament, Christian Democrat CDA has won the European elections in the Netherlands, it emerged on Sunday. Dutch voters were among the first to go to the polls on Thursday in the elections for a new Parliament of the European Union. The final vote count was announced Sunday at 11:00pm, after the polling stations had closed in Italy. Exit polls had predicted...
PHILIPSBURG--Two armed men executed a daring daylight robbery at Swiss Time store on Front Street around 11:50am on Saturday, May 24. Police spokesperson Inspector Ricardo Henson said two unknown men wearing motorcycle helmets and dressed in dark clothing pulled up in front of the store in a white van with licence plate 5638AAA. The robbers parked in the middle of the street in front of the store,...
PHILIPSBURG--United Telecommunications Services (UTS) Eastern Caribbean has been incorporated into a new holding company, UTS Eastern Caribbean Holding N.V., giving this subsidiary of the UTS Group the ability to operate more efficiently and timely in its core market. The incorporation took place at Boekhoudt Civil Law Notary Office in St. Maarten on Friday, May 23. UTS Eastern Caribbean N.V. has...
CAY HILL--The Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School Parents Committee hosted a silent march against all types of child abuse on the evening of Saturday, May 24, which it said was in solidarity with all children of the country. The event was attended by more than 100 people, as well as young attack victim S.B., who is a pupil at the school. S.B. participated in the march by being driven most of the...
PHILIPSBURG--A man who was arrested for a terrifying assault on a nine-year-old girl in South Reward on Thursday, May 15, has had his detention extended by the Investigating Judge yesterday. He is now officially in pre-trial detention, Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed. After his initial 48 hours of police detention, the Prosecutor's Office had already extended his detention to 10 days, causing the...
WILLEMSTAD--The Judge of Instruction will decide Monday at the latest if MFK-leader and Curaçao Member of Parliament (MP) Gerrit Schotte is to remain behind bars for the full eight-day extension of his detention by the Prosecutor's Office. His female partner Cicely van der Dijs was released Thursday night, mainly because a detective had told her she would only be held for one more day during questioning....