PHILIPSBURG:--- A well known law firm on St. Maarten has already dispatched a letter to the Government of St. Maarten informing them that they must take up their responsibilities and pay Millinium Construction Pro's (MCP) or face legal action by next week.
The attorney representing MCP told SMN News in an invited comment that MCP won the bid in January 2013 and the contract was signed off in June 2013. "This company won the bid and they received written instructions to start the project early from VROMI because of the hurricane season. All of this is in writing and government must comply and respect the obligations they have with contractors. The excuse about the 2013 budget has no bearing because the government of St. Maarten has over 40 million in the bank as reserves."
The attorney said this is not a case of politics, it's a case where a Minister thinks he can do as he pleases and disrespect the law. "There is a case of safety and security in the area while there is a legal obligation the Government of St. Maarten has with MCP. So far my clients spent over one million guilders and they have to get their monies. I gave the government of St. Maarten a time frame in which they must comply if not they will face legal action."
SMN News learnt that the Minister of VROMI is trying to force MCP to forget about their lawyer and to now sit around the table with him to discuss a way forward.
Ever since Minister Maurice Lake took office he never attended the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefings, instead he has been sending out press releases with information he sees fit for publication.
On Wednesday SMN News asked the Prime Minister of St. Maarten about the FOGA Development that was stopped by the Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake. The Prime Minister said she knows that the Minister is busy with the case but she thinks that questions regarding the safety of the people living in the area should be posed to the Minister himself and not her as the Prime Minister of St. Maarten.