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Exclusive:-- Belvedere Residents Suffers While Minister Of Vromi Falls Asleep

Is there mass corruption at St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation? Where is the foundation money and how an employee gets a home over other residents?

PHILIPSBURG:--- Residents of Belvedere housing project that is managed by the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) have to run for shelter during this rainy season while the Minister of VROMI Christopher Emmanuel falls asleep after requesting the government appointed board members to resign and they blatantly refused, even though they are civil servants.
Several of the residents that contacted SMN News states that the management of SMHDF refused to meet with them, one of which is an 89-year old homeowner even though their homes are in deplorable conditions, they said there are water leakage, mold, electrical problems and other very dangerous situations at the homes in Belvedere but the Director Helen Solomon and even the board members refused to meet with them to find solutions to their living conditions.
While the management of SMHDF is running from their responsibilities and the board believes their appointment are lifetime, SMN News learned that there is gross mismanagement of the foundation and monies have disappeared, documents are being shredded, certain employees managed to get promotion and at least one employee also obtained a home before the hundreds of persons that are on the list for years now waiting for a home.
SMN News further learned that Solomon crashed a vehicle belonging to the foundation and even went as far as taking another vehicle and transferred the insurance to the vehicle she is now driving Read more

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Detained Casino Owner Francesco Corallo: “One Day I Will Be Acquitted”

By Hilbert Haar (Today Newspaper)

GREAT BAY – When de sun goes down today, casino owner Francesco Corallo will have spent 111 days in a cell of the House of Detention at the police station in Philipsburg. That’s 2,664 hours. Each day he is let out of cell for an hour – 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon. That leaves 2,553 hours of staring at the walls and wondering why on earth he has to be there.

On Friday morning I got access to Corallo – also for thirty minutes, after a battle with the bureaucracy that took more than six weeks and ended with a lawsuit against Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman and interim prison director Steven Carty that would have played out in court on the same morning if Minister Boasman has not made the arrangement two days earlier to accommodate my visit.

A police officer guided me to the back of the police station – the part of the building that faces the Pondfill Road – where the cells of the House of Detention are located Read more

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Update: Two Lifeless Bodies Were Found This Afternoon And Have Been Positively Identified As Samuel Blaise And Jeff Stephane.

UPDATE:

MULLET BAY, Sint Maarten – The search for Samuel and Stephane started after 6:00am today. Family members and friends joined the Police and Coast Guard in search of the two young men who went for a swim on Saturday; and for unknown reasons got into difficulty, which resulted in their drowning.

After 13:00 pm, a visitor of Mullet Bay beach saw what looked like a body in the water and the Coast Guard and Police were immediately notified Read more

Casablanca Human Trafficking Case: Prosecutor Demands 8 Years Against Brothel Director

Source Today Newspaper

GREAT BAY – The public prosecutor demanded 8 years of imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 guilders against McQuincy R. the 39-year old director of the Casablanca brothel. Jessy R., 45, goes to prison for 7 years if it is up to the prosecution and she’ll have to pay also a 200,000 fine. The prosecutor wants to fine Casablanca NV an additional 30,000 guilders for fiscal fraud.

Carmen P., the 67-year old owner of the Casablanca building is facing 5 years of imprisonment and her son David E Read more

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Dutch Election: Pm Rutte Sees Off Anti-Eu Wilders Challenge

BBC —  Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections, exit polls say.

Early results confirmed the exit polls, with his centre-right VVD Party on course for 31 out of 150 seats.

Three parties are projected to win 19 seats each: Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV), the Christian Democrats and the D66 party.

Mr Wilders’ party had been leading in opinion polls but support for the party appeared to slip in recent days.

With 10.9% of votes counted early on Thursday, the VVD had polled 17.8%.

Voter participation in the general election was high; the 81% turnout was the highest for 30 years.

Analysts say a high turnout may have benefited pro-EU and liberal parties.

“Today was a celebration of democracy,” Mr Rutte said, adding that the Netherlands had said no to the “wrong kind of populism”.

Although the VVD had lost several seats since the last election, many had expected the party to lose much more ground to the Freedom Party.

Many had been watching the vote in the Netherlands closely, as an indication for how populist parties may fare in other elections in EU countries.

France goes to the polls next month to elect a new president, while Germany is due to hold a general election in September.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Mr Rutte to congratulate him, while Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has also tweeted his congratulations.

Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament until earlier this year, said he was “relieved” Mr Wilders’ party had lost.

“We must continue to fight for an open and free Europe!” he added on Twitter (in German).

However, Mr Wilders warned that Mr Rutte “has not seen the last of me”.

He previously said that the “patriotic revolution” would continue to take place, and “the genie will not go back into the bottle”.

Pharrell Williams’ song Happy pumped out across a conference hall converted to host the victorious VVD.

“Of course he’ll still be prime minister,” a loyal party member with black rimmed glasses told us Read more

Police Using Whatsapp To Tackle Sexual Exploitation Of Children

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is using WhatsApp to tackle the sexual exploitation of children via social media.

Speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on February 27, Head of the Corporate Communications Unit of the JCF, Superintendent Stephanie Lindsay, said the WhatsApp group was created to encourage citizens to send all sexual videos and images of children directly to the police, in order to prevent undesirable sharing.

“Once the content is sent to the police, we will use our electronic devices to track the source and the persons who share the information and make our arrests Read more

Attorney Found Guilty Of Professional Misconduct – Disbarred

KINGSTON, Jamaica  –  A well-known attorney, who is also a senior member of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Harold Brady, has been disbarred from practicing in the country.

The decision that was made on Saturday by the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council (GLC), resulted in Brady being struck from the list of licensed legal practitioners in Jamaica.

Brady was disbarred after he was found guilty of professional misconduct last week in relation to allegations that he misappropriated funds belonging to his client – the state-owned entity – the Factories Corporation of Jamaica.

Brady, who represented himself at the hearing, has strongly denied the allegations.

Brady was ordered to pay restitution to the complainants in a sum exceeding J$110 million.

He is among several attorneys now under investigation by the Disciplinary Committee of the General Legal Council Read more

721News General Notification

Due to the moving from the previous company to the new company server, which is handling our website at this moment, we have encountered some minor technical issues resulting in some of our readers being unable to access our website via a mobile device (phone or tablet). Accessing via laptop and PC was never an issue. This minor problem has now been resolved.

The decision for us to move to a different company was to get better service, and most importantly to secure our website against hackers, who do not have anything to do than to attack people’s websites on a daily basis Read more

Pond Island:---TelEm Group’s Management Board, consisting of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mrs. Helma Etnel, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mr. Brian Mingo and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Mrs. Helma Etnel, officially hand over the reins of the government-owned company this week to new Chief Executive Officer (CFO) Mr. Kendall Dupersoy after filling the vacant CEO position for more than seven years.

All three were personally thanked recently by Prime Minister and Shareholder Representative, Mr Read more

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It Is A Discussion We Must Have, Sooner Rather Than Later

Not totally unexpected, my recent comments on the relationships in the Dutch Kingdom have evoked quite some reactions. I welcome these reactions, because I believe it is a discussion we must have, sooner rather than later.

My comments, however, had to do with the following: Theoretically, the competencies and authorities between the Dutch countries and the Kingdom level of Government are quite clear in the Charter of the Dutch Kingdom. The main areas of Kingdom responsibilities are Defense, Nationality and Defense.

No one would argue though, that the so-called equality of all 4 Dutch countries in reality is far from such Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday, January 19th the Town Hall meeting organized by the Community Police Officer Felix Richards was held at the Milton Peters College. Many invited residents of these neighborhoods for unknown reasons did not show up for the meeting. The residents that attended this meeting were given a detailed explanation of the present situation on crime in the areas and tips given on how to jointly prevent and combat crime and criminal activities. A Whatsapp Chat group was also set up for these residents Read more

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Jean-Louis Turquin Murdered In Mont Vernon, French Saint Martin

The death of Jean-Louis Turquin, convicted in 1997 in Nice for the assassination of his son

Sentenced in Nice to 20 years of imprisonment for the murder of his 8-year-old son, Jean-Louis Turquin was shot dead in the night from Friday to Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN/GUADELOUPE – Jean-Louis Turquin, convicted in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) in 1997 for the murder of his son, was found dead with a bullet in his back during the night from Friday to Saturday, January 7, on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, it was learned from Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) Read more

Update: “Cuchi’S” Brother Tito Set Free By Judge Of Instruction

BELVEDERE, Sint Maarten (Update 13:45 pm) – Tito Fortune regained his freedom after the Judge of Instruction found there were irregularities in his arrest procedure.

Fugitive Kathron “Cuchi” Fortune’s brother Tito was arrested on Wednesday, December 14, in Belvedere. A search of his home followed, but nothing was found at in the home that could directly incriminate him in the disappearance of the two missing men.

Spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office Gino Bernadina and his lawyer Remco Stomp confirmed to 721news that Tito was set free on Friday, December 16.

721news clarifies the story of his arrest:
On the same day Tito regained his freedom, Police issued a press release stating that they had arrested T.J.F Read more

*Update* Two Rob Ballerina Jewelry On Frontstreet

UPDATE: POLICE REPORT

Jewelry store robbery

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Saturday, December 10, at approximately 12:25pm, a jewelry store, located on Front Street in Philipsburg, was robbed. An armed man ran into the establishment and grabbed several gold chains from behind the display case, and fled the scene as quickly as he had entered it.

No one was hurt during this robbery Read more

Caft Chairman Age Bakker: “Keep Doing The Utmost To Meet Deficit Norms”

ORANJESTAD, Aruba – During a recent visit to Aruba, the Board of Financial Supervision for Aruba (CAft) indicated that the utmost must be done in order to meet the maximum acceptable deficit norm.

At this moment, particularly the indirect tax income is lagging well behind under the influence of low economic growth. In contrast, the reopening of the oil refinery will result in additional income for the government. The estimated direct tax revenue of Aruba for 2018 represents a 22% rise Read more

Caft Chairman Age Bakker: “Keep Doing The Utmost To Meet Deficit Norms.

Oranjestad:--- During its most recent visit to Aruba, the Board of financial supervision for Aruba (CAft) indicated that the utmost must be done in order to meet the maximum acceptable deficit norm. At this moment particularly the indirect tax income is lagging well behind under the influence of low economic growth. In contrast, the reopening of the oil refinery will result in additional income for the government. The estimated direct tax revenue of Aruba for 2018 represents a 22% rise. This is such a strong increase that the CAft is not sufficiently convinced of the long-term sustainability of the Aruba public finances.

Budget implementation in 2016
The implementation report for the period up to the third quarter shows that the deficit of the public sector over this period amounted to 1.5% of GDP Read more

Successful Conference On Bonaire On Political Future Of Dutch-Administrated Caribbean

Kralendijk, BONAIRE – Recently, Foundation Nos Kier Boneiru Bek organized a conference at Plaza Hotel, which addressed a better future for Bonerian people, and for the other sister islands administrated by the Dutch.

After the conference, a gala dinner was held at Eddy’s restaurant with keynote speaker Dr. Corbin. Both events were successful and participants said that the conference was very informative and of international standard.

The Aruba delegation represented by Dr Read more

Successful Conference On Bonaire On The Political Future Of The Dutch Administrated Caribbean

BONAIRE - Recently Foundation Nos Kier Boneiru Bek organized a conference at Plaza Hotel which has put a foundation for a better future for the Bonerian peoples and of our other sister islands which are administrated by the Dutch. Following after the conference a gala-diner was held at Eddy's restaurant with keynote speaker Dr. Corbin. Both events were successful with good attendance and got from the participants and the public which followed the vents through the media that these were very informative and of international standards.

The delegation Aruba represented by Dr Gerrit Croes and of Curacao by Mr Read more

Thousands Of Cubans Gather To View Caravan Bearing Fidel Castro’S Ashes

MATANZAS, Cuba — When the motorcade carrying Fidel Castro’s ashes approached this northern shore town’s Freedom Plaza on Wednesday, the crowd lining the sidewalks, benches, rooftops, balconies and even window bars started to chant his name.

“Yo soy Fidel!” (“I am Fidel!”), hundreds of people shouted in Spanish. “Viva Fidel!” (“Long live Fidel”).

Some carried Cuban flags, many held smartphones to record the moment, and a few cried Read more

Lee Disappointed In Court Verdict

PHILIPSBURG--Health Minister Emil Lee on Sunday expressed disappointment in last Friday’s court verdict issued based on a lawsuit filed by VAMED against Social Health Insurances SZV regarding the construction of a new general hospital for St. Maarten.

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A Second Chance To Do Things Right

St. James, Marigot – I would like to thank all the voters in St. Martin who came out to vote on the occasion of the 1st round, last Saturday, November 19, of the Primary of the Right and Center.

I also want to thank the voters who voted for Alain Juppé and made it possible for him to earn 128 votes. This placed him in third place and 44 votes behind Nicolas Sarkozy who placed first on Saint Martin, but who was ultimately eliminated from the contest and soundly rejected at both the Overseas and the National level.

François Fillon’s surprising and brilliant performance is to be congratulated and Alain Juppé took precedence in the Overseas Territories while earning 28% of the overall vote Read more

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Police Officers In Court

PHILIPSBURG – On July 22, 2016 a group of police officers received their decrees by the Minister of Justice Edson Kirindngo during a ceremony held at Police Headquarters in Philipsburg.

When the officers took a look at their long awaited promotions, they were disappointed. The officers were taken into service early in 2012, during which period they were selected to follow the Basic Police Training (BPO).

However, the cadets were placed in the daily operation of police work instead of sitting on the benches as mentioned in their former decree, which stipulated that they were police cadets in training.

The cadets had never gotten proper training to fulfill their duties as full-fledged police officers, because management team (KPSM) claimed that there was no money in the budget for the BPO Read more

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Letter To The Editor By Koos Sneek: Statia’S Budget 2017

The debate in the Island Council on the budget took place on November 14. The most important debate of the year was held without most of us, including myself, having noticed it. This could happen because no official announcement was made through the media.

The island council members were not sent a convocation with an agenda that included the budget 2017 either. An agenda was sent out a little over 24 hours prior to the meeting, but mentioned only the first budget amendment and quarterly report 2016.  Disturbing is that the bylaw required two weeks for scrutiny of the budget by the public was not adhered to Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- On July 22, 2016, a group of Police officers received their decrees by the Minister of Justice Edson Kirindngo during a ceremony held at the Police Head Quarters in Philipsburg. When the officers took a look at their long-awaited promotions it was just for them to get more disappointed. The officers were taking into service since early in the year 2012. During which period they were selected to follow the Basic Police Training (BPO). However, the cadets were placed in the daily operation of police work instead on sitting on the benches as mention in their former decree that stipulated that they were police cadets in training.

The cadets had never gotten the proper training to fulfill their duties as full-fledged police officers because management team (KPSM) claimed that there was no money in the budget for the basic police training (BPO) Read more

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