PHILIPSBURG:--- The leadership crisis at NV GEBE, St. Maarten’s vital utility company, is spiraling into a full-blown legal catastrophe, threatening to drag the government-owned entity through the courts. The government of St. Maarten’s decision to bypass established corporate governance and appoint a statutory director without following the proper selection process has set the stage for significant legal challenges, further eroding public trust and exposing a disturbing pattern of shareholder overreach.
At the heart of this latest debacle is the Council of Ministers' (COM) vote to appoint Jeffreyson Paris as the company's new Chief Operating Officer. This move came only after the originally suggested candidate, Mauricio Dembrook, withdrew his name. Dembrook, a qualified local professional, was left in limbo for over a year, waiting for the Council of Ministers to finalize the appointment of GEBE's management board. Faced with endless delays and a shareholder that effectively ignored his nomination, he was forced to seek employment elsewhere. This incident alone highlights a galling disregard for process and professional courtesy.
The situation is poised to escalate, as the current Temporary Manager, Thomas Roggendorf, reportedly intends to take NV GEBE to court. Roggendorf plans legal action if he is dismissed and not appointed Chief Executive Officer, a position he claims was contractually promised. According to sources, his contract explicitly states he was appointed as Temporary Manager with the clear understanding that he would transition to CEO.
Roggendorf was one of two candidates formally submitted by the Supervisory Board of Directors (SBOD) to the shareholder for nomination in July 2024. His name was also officially put forward as the next CEO candidate earlier this year, following the sudden passing of former CEO Troy Washington. However, the shareholder now appears to be using unproven complaints filed by middle management as a pretext to block his appointment. To date, there has been no official word on whether Roggendorf even passed the required screening process, leaving his candidacy in a state of manufactured uncertainty.
This leadership vacuum began tragically one month after CEO Troy Washington passed away unexpectedly during a work trip to Europe. Roggendorf was appointed to fill the void temporarily, but what should have been a stabilizing measure has been twisted into another chapter of GEBE’s ongoing governance dysfunction.
The appointment of Jeffreyson Paris is not a solution but a symptom of a deeper rot. It represents a flagrant circumvention of a fair and transparent selection process, opting instead for politically convenient maneuvers. This chaotic approach to leadership selection leaves the company vulnerable, rudderless, and now, staring down the barrel of costly legal battles. As political games take precedence over professional management, it is the people of St. Maarten who will ultimately pay the price for this shambolic failure of governance.
