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PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo wants to get to the bottom of the issues at St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation that led to the supervisory board suspending with pay three members of the management team, including Foundation Director Henry Lynch.
Marlin-Romeo called on fellow MPs on Wednesday to help her convene a meeting of parliament with the three suspended members. She said it was imperative to hear from the three suspended persons "about what exactly transpired" instead of the insinuations that have "exploded" on blog sites.
Her request was made in the Central Committee meeting of Parliament dealing with the composition of St. Maarten's delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Affairs Contact Meeting IPOK in Aruba next month.
Parliament Chairman Dr. Lloyd Richardson said there were similar sentiments for a meeting on the housing foundation issue from other MPs and the possibility for a meeting will be looked into by Parliament.
Lynch has been placed on non-active duty as of December 12 by the foundation's supervisory board pending the outcome of "an independent forensic investigation" by Government Accountant Bureau SOAB "into certain business and management activities" of foundation and that of St. Maarten Housing Finance Foundation (SMHFF).
However, that investigation is now on hold, due to the intervention of Public Housing Minister Maurice Lake. The minister has also issued some "erroneous" statements about the actions of the supervisory board. The supervisory board wants Lake to correct those statements, according to a press statement issued on behalf of the supervisory board by Attorney Jairo Bloem earlier this week.
Lynch's suspension and the subsequent investigation are a result of "alarming recent findings" related to the administrative management of the two foundations.
Lynch was Marlin-Romeo's campaign manager in the August 29 Parliament Elections.
