Prostitution and the law do not sit well together. Our current policy condones the trafficking of women. Last year a brothel owner was sentenced to 54 months for this crime, but the government took no action to close down his Border Bar brothel in sp
Politicians are not always very clear in their statements. That is because they want to be able to say today something is white, tomorrow that it could have been gray and the day after tomorrow that it is actually black. Once they are used to this (b
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 28, 2013
Comments Off on Returning President of Parliament meets press – 47 laws still pending from former Netherlands Antilles
St. Maarten – President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell gave her first press conference yesterday since resuming her former role. She outlined her desire to get still pending legislation moving down the pipeline in the upcoming year and to keep the
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 28, 2013
Comments Off on 19 students graduate from Sundial School – Arrindell: “nothing beats a second chance”
From left to right school mentor Wendell Moore praises his former student, valedictorian Kevin Arrindell. Photo: Julius Goodman.St. Maarten - The second time around proved to be charm and also taught a valuable life lesson for a young man who edged o
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 28, 2013
Comments Off on Committee writes new policy on prostitution
St. Maarten – The Public Prosecutor’s Office is part of a committee charged with writing a new prostitution policy for St. Maarten. The policy will have to be in agreement with the draft new penal code and with the Memorandum of Understanding the
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 28, 2013
Comments Off on Country misses revenue by not collecting fines
St. Maarten – The Public Prosecutor’s Office is concerned about the fact that increasingly court rulings cannot be executed and that fines are not collected. “The justice system will only be effective if imposed punishments and measures are act
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 28, 2013
Comments Off on Administrative action against violating laws and regulations
St. Maarten– Controls on laws and regulations met a dead end after 10-10-10 because inspectors lost their authority to control, the Public Prosecutor’s Office writes in its 2014 year plan. “This year the Justice Minister reappointed the inspect
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 28, 2013
Comments Off on Stricter controls on drunk driving
St. Maarten – The Public Prosecutor’s Office continues next year with its policy that it will be informed about all traffic accidents that result in death or serious injuries. Enforcing traffic rules is an important element in the feeling of citi
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Windward Islands Bank officially opens new financial center – Governor Holiday: WIB is synonymous with St. Maarten’s success
Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, First lady Marie Louise Holiday and Governor Eugene Holiday are greeted by Assistant Managing Director of WIB Kelvin Bloyden shortly after the ribbon cutting ceremony in the lobby of the main entrance to the buil
Justice as soon as possible. That sounds like a good concept especially for youngsters that have committed a crime. The question is of course what this will look like in practice. It is all fine and dandy to drag youngsters as soon as possible aft
If it was not clear yet, it must be clear now: the Netherlands will not meddle in political developments in St. Maarten. It will not dive into questions about the disputed integrity of candidate-ministers and it will also not interfere in any way in
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on $5000 Reward for escaped prisoners
St. Maarten – $5000 will be rewarded for the information directly leading to arrests of the three escapees and to the arrest and conviction of those who helped them, acting Attorney General Taco Stein stated in a press release. The public is ask
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Financial crimes get more attention
GREAT BAY – St. Maarten will have to make additional efforts in the fight against money laundering and financial fraud, the Public Prosecutor’s Office writes in its annual plan for 2014. The Caribbean Financial Actions Task force evaluated St. Ma
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Minister Plasterk: “Screening is a matter for St. Maarten”
St. Maarten – Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk says that the screening of candidate-ministers “is a matter for country St. Maarten that is regulated in the national ordinance Promotion Integrity of Ministers.” The Netherlands is not i
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Focus 2014 on victim-support and Jasap: St. Maarten’s Prosecutor Office works on system for swift justice
St. Maarten – The Public Prosecutor’s Office wants to focus in 2014 on supporting crime-victims and on JASAP: Justice As Soon As possible. Departing Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos writes this in the introduction of his office’s annual plan for next
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on PM: Country St. Maarten’s entire financial management needs to be assessed
St. Maarten - Finance Minister Martinus Hassink will be preparing a vision document regarding the budgetary procedures and measures for the Council of Ministers handling next Tuesday. The new minister has already prepared a document outlining the
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on PM: Screening new tourism minister may take 2 weeks
St. Maarten - While speculation remains rife in the community that the candidate minister for the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Aviation, Transportation and Telecommunication will be coming from neighboring island, Curacao, Prime Minister
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Slap on the wrist for filing false complaint
St. Maarten – The Court in First Instance sentenced a 53-year-old woman yesterday to a 4-week conditional prison sentence and 2 years of probation for filing a false complaint against her alcoholic and abusive husband on August 7 of last year. The
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on St. Maarten attends ILO regional labor meeting
St. Maarten - Director General of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Guy Ryder will address the 8th meeting of Caribbean Labor Ministers in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad next week; first vice president of the Windward Islands Chamber of Labor Union
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Stat: 1.5 percent real growth in economy
St. Maarten – The Department of Statistics (Stat) issued its preliminary results of economic developments yesterday, as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by production and expenditure and real growth. According to provisional figures
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Wifol protests dismissal of laundry workers over harmful chemical
St. Maarten - The Windward Islands Federation for Labor (Wifol) plans to challenge a dismissal request for 4 Laundromat employees that have been submitted to the Labor Department. In speaking of the employees’ plight, union President Theophilus
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Small allocation to start social funding for development fund
GREAT BAY-The St. Maarten Development Fund has acquired a small advance payment from the government as it awaits its budgetary allocation for 2013. The money is to assist the fund in its operations and also ensure that payments are made to foundation
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 27, 2013
Comments Off on Union records more concerns on employment agencies
St. Maarten – The Windward Islands Federation of Labor (Wifol) is continuing to register concerns from workers who say they are being treated unjustly by the employment agencies that they fall under. On Tuesday, union President Theophilus Thompson
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
St. Maarten / By Jason Lista – “We cannot really celebrate the abolition of slavery without political independence,” said author and veteran journalist Jose Lake Jr. in a discussion on the upcoming 150th anniversary of emancipation on St. Maar
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Forty percent of 2012 criminal investigations still pending
St. Maarten – The Public Prosecutor’s Office recorded 592 criminal cases in 2012, of which 393 were handled. The remaining 239 cases are “work in stock” – investigations that still have to be completed - and represent 40 percent of the tota
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Curacao-report Transparency International: “General lack of trust in key institutions”
BERLIN/WILEMSTAD – There is a general lack of trust in Curacao’s key institutions, the anti-corruption group Transparency International said in a report published today. This is a major obstacle for strengthening the foundations of this new count
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Police frequently use structural observation
St. Maarten – Since the BOB-law on special investigation competencies went into effect on August 31, 2012 police frequently use the now legal method of structural observation. During the last four months of 2012, investigators received 18 times per
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on St. Maarten’s Prosecutor’s office eyed new electronic supervision system
St. Maarten – The Public Prosecutor’s Office contacted in 2012 a company that is specialized in locating people via a global positioning system and set up a presentation for Justice Minister Duncan. The system is one of the alternatives to battle
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Arrindell receives copy of General Audit Chamber Annual Report
St. Maarten – President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell received a visit from the Chairman of the General Audit Chamber (GAC) Ronald C. Halman, MBA and Secretary General Joan Dovale-Meit, MA yesterday with respect to the third Annual Report of the
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Hundreds of people attended free HIV testing day
St. Maarten – 161 people got free tested for HIV at the annual Caribbean Regional HIV Testing Day, hosted by the Aids Foundation and Scotiabank. In total 82 women, 79 men; whereof 3 people were found to require further testing. St. Maarten was o
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Lack of financial expertise hampered fraud investigations
St. Maarten – The police force did not have enough detectives to investigate money laundering criminality in 2012 and country St. Maarten was therefore unable to meet the demands in this field from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force CFATF, t
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Local St. Maarten DNA-databank fills up
St. Maarten – Of all Caribbean countries in the Kingdom, St. Maarten has the highest number of DNA-profiles in its databank. This appears from the 2012 annual report of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The number of stored profiles increased in 20
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 26, 2013
Comments Off on Wiclu wants MPs to discuss counterpart agreement
St. Maarten -Now that the dust has settled on the political upheaval on St. Maarten, trade unions want Parliament to take its responsibility seriously to introduce, enact and amend some legislation in consultation with unions. Windward Islands Chambe
Let’s take a look at Claudius Buncamper’s performance on the "Breakfeast with de Robert" radio show last Sunday. At a certain moment, De Robert brought the controversy up surrounding the Rotary Club's Paul Harris fellowship bestowed upon Claudius
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on June 25, 2013
Comments Off on Leonard threatens with legal actions against St. Maarten government
Emancipation devalued in worker’s struggle St. Maarten – Trade unionist Derie Leonard has threatened to take the government to court if it fails to pay out the 2012 cost of living adjustment soon. Leonard heads the Windward Islands Civil Serva
