Prosecution delays criminal case against Labega for five years.
PHILIPSBURG:---- Managing Director of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) Regina Labega has lost the court case she filed against the Prime Minister on Tuesday. Labega through her attorney Cor Merx gave the court lengthy explanations as to why Labega should not be suspended or removed from her position until she is able to contest the screening done by VDSM. In the judgment the judge outline several parts where Labega refused to fully comply with the screening process.
However, the judge did not agree with Labega and the reasons she gave thus rejected her request. Regina Labega may well find herself through the door and off of her seat on November 13th 2015.
While the court made a decision based on the facts and law regarding the screening process for directors, it must be noted that former Minister Theodore Heyliger now MP of Parliament and those he formed the coalition government with in 2011 are fully responsible for the humiliation Labega is now facing. In 2011 when Heyliger Government chose to remove Labega from her post at the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and placed her as Managing Director of PJIAE, the Corporate Governance Council objected and gave a negative advice to government on the appointment for two reasons, one being Labega was on the Supervisory Board of PJIAE for a number of years, and the second being the scandal created by the then Minister of TEATT Franklin Meyers who suspended her and Edward Dest citing they were committing criminal activities such as embezzling funds from the Tourist Office. The same Minister along with the former head of Finance Baas Roorda filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office against Labega and Dest and Dest. While Government reinstated both civil servants, Dest waited up until a few months ago for his day in court, while Regina Labega is still waiting for her day in court regarding the allegations brought against her.
While the Prosecutor Office has this case for so many years, and did nothing with it, they used it against Labega in the screening process. More amazing is days after the screening results were made known the prosecution got swift and conducted several house searches.
On Monday Labega reported to Parliament to give account on PJIAE financials and the same persons who were Ministers and accused her of wrong doing showered Labega with praises for promoting St. Maarten both while heading the Tourist Office and now as Managing Director of PJIAE where they stated that they saw growth and improvement at PJAIE since Labega took over. With the verdict that was handed down on Tuesday, it appeared that those who gave Labega all the praises for her work as "black St. Maarten woman- professional" were giving her their farewell wishes rather than crediting her for the work she did over the years.
SMN News tried contacting Attorney at Law Cor Merx for a comment on the verdict he received on Tuesday but he could not be reached.
Click here to read the read the decision of the court handed down on Tuesday.
