PHILIPSBURG:--- The UP/DP/Laville Government requested that an audit be done by SOAB at Bureau Telecommunications Post (BTP) after the board of BTP denied the Government of St. Maarten advance concession fees which they requested about two months ago to fill the holes that were in the 2013 budget.
SMN News has been reliably informed that the Council of Ministers got their hands on the draft financial statements of BTP which were leaked to them and shortly after that sent a letter to BTP requesting that they pay their concession fees in advance just as GEBE did when government approached them during their budget crisis with the CFT. The source said that BTP immediately responded to the letter they received by informing the Council of Ministers that they need to follow the proper chain of command when dealing with them since the only Minister they have to answer to is the Minister of TEATT Ted Richardson.
SMN News further learnt that since then the Minister of TEATT tried to meet with the board members of BTP but that meeting was allegedly hijacked by the other members of the Council of Ministers.
Ever since then the rift between government and BTP has expanded and government has since ordered an audit be conducted by SOAB. According to information provided to SMN News, BDO is conducting the annual audit for BTP while SOAB will conduct a separate audit for the government of St. Maarten.
SMN News further learnt that the Government of St. Maarten gets 2.5 million guilders per year from BTP as concession fees, this amount was paid to government in 2011 and 2012; while they have to pay their expenses and other bills from the monies they collect from their clients. It is understood that when BTP was setting up their office they were given a key to an empty building and the board had to find equipments and materials to operate their office because up to this date BTP has not received its assets from the former Netherlands Antilles. The Prime Minister is supposed to be dealing with the division of assets but those monies have not yet been sent to St. Maarten. BTP collects concession and inspectrum fees from TELEM Group of Companies, United Telecommunications Services, Global Comtrade, and Corporate Innovations. It is understood that BTP collects about seven million guilders per year in total from the above mentioned companies.
Buncamper-Molanus to be added to Board of BTP.
Unconfirmed reports state that the Government of St. Maarten wants to appoint former Minister of Health and Labor Maria Buncamper-Molanus to the board of BTP since there are allowed to add at least two more persons on the board. The BTP was set up in November 2010 by attorney at law Peggy Ann Brandon who could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
