The MP asks who authorized the traveler’s release, on what grounds, and whether the person remains in St. Maarten. He also calls on police to bring those responsible for a reported weekend shooting to justice.
PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Lyndon Lewis used Monday’s parliamentary meeting to demand answers after a traveler reportedly found with three firearms at Princess Juliana International Airport was arrested, questioned and released. He questioned whether the traveler received the same treatment another person in the same circumstances would have received and said he had written to the Chair of Parliament and the Minister of Justice seeking an explanation.
Speaking on November 9, Lewis said the circumstances led him to ask, “if we really do have class justice in this country.” He said the traveler was reportedly well known on Saba and argued that an ordinary traveler who arrived at the airport with even one firearm could expect serious consequences, including if the person said it was a mistake.
“We’re not talking about one firearm,” Lewis said. “It’s alleged it’s three firearms.”
Lewis said he was seeking answers about the arrest, the release and the firearms. He also asked whether the traveler had left St. Maarten or was still on the island while the investigation continued.
“We do not need to know the details of the investigation,” Lewis said. “They have to tell us something.”
The Prosecutor's Office's central question is why it decided to release the traveler. Who authorized it, what considerations informed it, and did they impose any conditions? Lewis’s remarks raised the issue of equal treatment. The Prosecutor’s Office did not disclose its reasoning or any conditions attached to the release during the parliamentary exchange.
Lewis challenges assurances on crime
Lewis also raised the reported shooting of a Chinese businessman over the weekend, while cautioning that he did not have all the details. The Police Force of St. Maarten said it was investigating a shooting during a suspected robbery on L.B. Scott Road. SMN News confirmed that the victim was a Chinese national who was at home during the invasion.
The MP challenged ministers' assurances that crime was not increasing and urged police to pursue those responsible and bring them to court. His remarks raised two separate questions for the authorities: what police are doing to investigate violent incidents and how prosecutors explain decisions in cases that draw public concern.
Addressing officers directly, Lewis urged them to continue serving the country and take every lawful step to make arrests and bring offenders to justice. His comments on the weekend shooting were a call to action. The parliamentary exchange did not establish a broader crime trend or identify the perpetrators.
MPs congratulate athletes and honor a retiring civil servant
Lewis also congratulated Isaiah Douzon and the other young athletes who represented St. Maarten. MP Dimar Labega said a 25-member delegation earned four medals at the 34th OECS Swimming Championships in Saint Lucia. Douzon won what Labega described as St. Maarten’s first OECS swimming gold, taking first place in the boys’ 11–12 50-meter breaststroke and silver in the 100-meter breaststroke. Mila van Baalen and Stella Dordovic each earned bronze, Labega said.
Labega also congratulated the Dream Warriors girls’ softball team for winning the under-14 championship in Curaçao and the 37ers youth baseball team for finishing second at the Aruba Baseball and Softball in Paradise tournament. He credited the athletes, coaches, parents, and supporters, including those who helped raise funds for the Dream Warriors’ trip. He said the results underscored the need for a national sports strategy and stronger support for national teams.
MP Sarah A. Wescot-Williams joined in congratulating the athletes and paid tribute to Catherine Connor, who retired on her birthday after 40 years in government service, including in the finance administration. Wescot-Williams recalled working with Connor in the Finance Department and renewed her call for government to draw on experienced civil servants’ expertise while recruiting younger staff to fill vacancies.
MP Franklin Meyers congratulated the swimmers and softball players and called for government recognition of Juanito Fortuno, a St. Maartener living in New York. Meyers credited Fortuno with supporting Carnival since 1984 and bringing three U.S. teams to the weekend softball tournament. He said the U.S. teams won the 40-and-over and 60-and-over divisions, while St. Maarten won the 50-and-over division.
MP Francisco Lacroes urged government, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, and Parliament to find more ways to fund sports organizations throughout the year. The chair congratulated the athletes on behalf of Parliament and encouraged residents to support the national men’s football team in its home match against Anguilla.
