APS got VORST land for a symbolic Guilder for housing development.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Gumbs cabinet proclaim they are doing all they can to stop ship jumping and to control the instability of government on St. Maarten by calling for new elections and not working on election reform which will be the only tool to curb the ship jumping. Certain Ministers told SMN News that what they are doing is not for their own interest instead they are protecting St. Maarten’s image.
SMN News is well known for exposing what takes place in government and while politicians are focusing on the bridge loan the Harbor obtained from SZV to settle the ZEBEC deal SMN News got something better. Some months ago SMN News released the agreement Rainforest Adventure got from the Gumbs cabinet and who the key players are. The low price these investors have to pay for leasing acres of land at St. Maarten’s historical site.
This time around the Gumbs cabinet chose to give APS whom they owed millions of guilders the VORST property that almost cost former Minister Maurice Lake his seat as a Minister. The government of St. Maarten paid some $5.5M for the Vorst property and what did the Minister of VROMI Claret Connor did he wrote his own advice without the advice or signature of the secretary general and an development agreement to lease the VORST property for one symbolic guilder. APS will develop the property with what they describe as affordable housing. The Landsbesluit which still has to be signed off by the Governor of St. Maarten and the advice prepared by Minister Connor was booked in after the Minister got a motion of no confidence, to be exact on October 10th 2015.
The high light of this agreement is the following more deal making. On the board of APS is someone known as Michel Soons who also has shares with the contractor that will get the project LICCOM Soons is also the best friend of Prime MInister Marcel Gumbs and is allegedly the Prime Minister personal advisor. Conflict of interest at its best, the owner of LICCOM is Henk van den Heuvel close friends of the UPP leader Theodore Heyliger. Readers of this site will remember the infamous video showing former MP Patrick Illidge on tape taking what seems like money from Jaap van den Heuvel. Several emails exchange between Van den Huevel and Illidge shows that the night club owner said he was asked to set up the MP in order to keep him in check so that the UPP government stays in power. Van den Heuvel was convicted for his actions and offering bribes to politicians. The verdict of that case can also be found in the archive of this website. The question one has for the UPP led government is this a pay back to the Van den Heuvel family for the coviction and scandal?
The next contract that is now being worked on and will not go on a bid is from the Ministry of Justice for the expansion of the Prison. Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson told parliament that they have decided to award the contract to LICCOM through Ministerial decree but what the parliament of St. Maarten did not know is one of LICCOM former employees is working as an advisor to the Minister of Justice. SMN News will bring that contract out too if the Minister of Justice signs it after having a motion of no confidence on his head.
The Gumbs cabinet said those that left the UPP led coalition did it for their personal gain because they could not get the contracts they want awarded to their people. They said there are a few MPs that are creating instability in Parliament for their own self-enrichment and personal gain. Now that the agreement and advice made up by Minister Claret Connor is in public domain it will be nice for the Gumbs cabinet to tell the people of St. Maarten why are they giving away the people’s patronage to certain groups of people for pittance and who stands to gain in all of this? Is this the corruption the Dutch MPs are talking about? Elections without election reform will not solve the problem of ship jumping. People such as Ministers that are working for certain MPs interest should be prosecuted. This is a clear violation of St. Maarten's constitution and it is another disgrace to the country and its people that politicians said they know are suffering.
Click here to read the agreement between APS and the Government of St. Maarten
Click here to read the incomplete advice done by Minister Claret Connor.
