The Kingdom is on the eve of a historic moment: the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander. While this does not seem to excite our island-population it is good to remember that the royal family has functioned throughout the past 200 years as a stabili
Prime Minister Wescot-Williams is of course right when she states that the vetting information ministers submitted to her after their appointment in 2010, is confidential. We knew that. But the controversy surrounding our justice minister shows ho
Prime Minister Wescot-Williams is of course right when she states that the vetting information ministers submitted to her after their appointment in 2010, is confidential. We knew that. But the controversy surrounding our justice minister shows ho
We agree with the idea that the investigation into the Bada Bing bribery scandal must run its course. There is no point getting in the way of investigators who have to work their way probably through a ton of material before they are able to come up
The United People’s party faction stated in a press conference yesterday afternoon the obvious: independent MP Patrick Illidge and Justice Minister Roland Duncan should step aside until the investigation into the Bada Bing bribery scandal provides
The country is still coming to terms with the reports that stem from the Bada Bing bribery tape. In the meantime, this newspaper has outlined the details of the ugly fight between Justice Minister Duncan’s Hypnotic and the license-holder of the Sea
Daily Herald reporter Mike Granger denied yesterday that he received the Bada Bing-tape from UP-leader Theo Heyliger. That leaves the party-leader to answer the nagging questions. Did he ask Van den Heuvel to set up Patrick Illidge in an attempt to b
MP Patrick Illidge said upon his return yesterday that there are dark days ahead for St. Maarten. The interview on our front page with Bada Bing-owner Jaap van den Heuvel makes that prophecy a reality: it is the confession of a businessman who got ca
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on March 11, 2013
One would expect that Prime Minister Wescot-Williams would seize the opportunity to take a stand for integrity in the wake of the Bada Bing bribery scandal. But no: a statement the PM’s cabinet issued this weekend focused on the inner workings of
The publication of the by now infamous Bada Bing bribery tape has provided everyone with interesting insights. The temptation to nail independent MP Patrick Illidge to the wall is probably too strong to resist for most and after watching the images s
The bribery-tape featuring independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge has put St. Maarten once more on the map as a Caribbean pirate’s nest in the eyes of our Kingdom partners in the Netherlands. But at the end of the day it is just another s
A relatively young defendant is going through the three most anxious weeks of his life. Sentenced to 9 years as an accessory to the man who presumably murdered Amador Jones on April 16, 2011, the defendant is now awaiting the result of his appeal. Hi
The trial of a Venezuelan suspect who was found in August of last year with $690,000 in cash in a home he leased on St. Maarten triggers many questions. The court postponed the trial yesterday amid a flurry of arguments and counter arguments. One
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on February 27, 2013
The story about the departure of PSS managing director Denicio Richardson obviously stinks to high heaven and Members of Parliament have picked upon this. They demand proper compensation for a young St. Maartener who was placed in an impossible si
Curacao’s Prime Minister Daniel Hodge had about enough of the troubles with the Central Bank for Curacao and St. Maarten and he is seriously considering throwing in the towel. It is not the people, it is the structure, Hodge said yesterday. That
The Common Court of Justice has found solid legal grounds to keep murder-suspect Meyshane J. behind bars. That is a relief, not only for the family and friends of murder victims Thelma and Michael King, but also for the public prosecutor’s office t
The airport foresees a maximum growth to 1.9 million passengers by 2020, managing director Regina Labega said yesterday. Compared to the benchmark year 2008 - the year the economic crisis hit - that is an increase of 10 percent. Over a period 2008-20
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on February 18, 2013
The story we publish today about the effect of crime on economic development may not contain any references to St. Maarten, but this does not mean that what Caribbean Council Director David Jessop has to say about this issue does not affect our islan
The reports that come out about embattled casino boss Francesco Corallo seem at times conflicting. One moment the man is wanted by Interpol, a couple of months later his name and blurry picture are taken off the wanted list and most recently, the Ita
Not all is well in the relationship between St. Maarten and its neighbors Saba and Statia we learn from the firm letter Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk. Our government is digging in its heels on several fronts: the turnover tax on expor
The Italian Supreme Court has taken the sting out of the saga that had dogged Atlantis World Group and B Plus Giocolegale owner Francesco Corallo for more than two years. The highest court in Italy has stated clearly that Corallo is not a part of
The representatives of the people had another fine day at the office yesterday. The United People’s party faction picked a fight about procedures and walked out of a meeting about the hospital. So okay, maybe Minister de Weever should have had h
The National Detective Agency aka Landsrecherche has finally set its teeth in the vote-selling scandal that dates back to before the 2010 elections. Half the file has been ready for a time (the story for the police officers and the VKS-er who sold th
A well-intended cleanup action on a piece of land across from the Blue Mall has yielded an embarrassing result: the destruction of the last Amerindian archeological site on our island. That the community police took action to increase the safety f
By now there ought to be no one left in St. Maarten ready to believe that the Netherlands will re-open its wallet to hand some more debt relief to St. Maarten. It is over and out. We have had our chances – from November 2006 until the deadline o
It is probably good that two MPs woke up to the fact that Fatca-rules are going to hit St. Maarten – and everyone else in the world for that matter – by June 30. The banks have no choice but to abide by these rules, otherwise they won’t be a
The attempt by the defense to get King murder-suspect Meyshane J. out of jail is an ingenious one, for sure, but it is also a move that has caused a lot of justified unrest among family and friends of the murdered American couple. The appeals cour
The Ombudsman’s decision to take the new penal code to the Constitutional Court for review is a wise one - and one some might even consider courageous. The review of the articles about animal cruelty and about higher penalties for crimes against
The long awaited abdication of H.M. Queen Beatrix comes at a logical moment that has not surprised many royalty-watchers. On Thursday the queen turns 75 and this is also the year that the Kingdom of the Netherlands celebrates its 200th anniversary.
When interim manager Pieter Drenth left the TelEm Group of companies in September 2009 he left behind what he labeled as “a stringent donation policy.” Controversial donations like the $25,000 Maria Buncamper-Molanus’ Sky is the Limit Foundatio
The government has had to tone down its ambitions for 2013 even before its draft budget reached the parliament. Based on what feels like sound advice from the financial supervisor Cft, the Council of Ministers has agreed to cut down expenses by 25 mi
United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger may not be a member of the current parliament, but his spirit was all around the meeting hall yesterday afternoon. Independent MP Romain Laville made a point of indicating that the members of the UP-fac
Minister Pantophlet’s plans for a convention center at the harbor is not well-received everywhere, as our front page article shows. Maybe the minister will come up with a decent explanation for this initiative, and with data that support the feasib
The immigration department is opening the hunt for illegal employees and warns employers that they will be hit with 5,000-guilder fines for each violation. The actions seem to target especially the hospitality industry since the control unit perceive
Street vendors without a permit to peddle their hats, bags and beach dresses on the Boardwalk without a permit have nothing to fear from the justice system for the time being. Of the five permit-less vendors that were summoned to court yesterday just
