PHILIPSBURG:--- Well placed information reaching SMN News states that Minister of Finance Maarten Hassink has sent an email to the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger informing him that he has taken the decision to make his position as Minister of Finance available to the UPP. It is further understood that after Minister Hassink email to the UPP leader a coalition meeting was held at the Parliament Building Monday afternoon and MP Maurice Lake did not attend that meeting. Efforts made to reach Minister Hassink on Tuesday proved futile as he did not respond to the phone calls made to him.
Clearly Minister Hassink were having problems with the UPP leader who asked him to stay on as Minister of Finance when they formed the first coalition but later submitted another candidate name for screening while not informing Hassink of his decision. When the candidate Richard Gibson Sr. failed the screening process Minister Hassink was asked by the coalition to stay on until someone is found to take his place. During that period of time Minister Hassink was supposed to work on the completion of the 2015 budget. Minister Hassink had informed the media of his decision to stay on for a period of six months during one of the the weekly press briefings some time ago. The move by Minister Hassink was expected as he got a motion of non-confidence from the CFT who advised the Kingdom Council to issue an instruction on St. Maarten which will take place on Friday September 4th 2015.
SMN News further learnt that former member of the CFT Richard Gibson Sr. who failed the screening process some months ago may now get clearance to take up the position as Minister of Finance if he is fully exonerated by the Prosecutor’s Office on the two complaints that were filed against him which caused him to fail the screening process the first time around.
Already press prosecutor Karola Van Nie had told SMN News that they had sent a letter to the young woman and her parents who filed the first complaint against Gibson for sexual misconduct that they will not proceed with any criminal charges against Richard Gibson Sr. However, Van Nie had said back then that they were still busy investigating the second complaint which involved a working permit.
SMN News now learnt that the prosecutor’s office had taken the decision to charge Gibson Sr. with human trafficking and human smuggling but that seems to be thrown out and it is now considered an oversight.
SMN News contacted press prosecutor Karola Van Nie for an update on the complaints filed against Gibson Sr. and if the Prosecutor’s Office had taken a decision as to how they will proceed with the case. Van Nie said that the case of the working permit is still under investigation and that there is no news on this at this moment.
