According to information reaching SMN News, the former executive council of the National Alliance and Heyliger granted long leases to three other persons for properties on Pond Island (Sucker Garden). Lands that Reginald Pantophlet filled in early 1997.
According to our sources, a long lease was granted to Island Concrete N.V. (409/2008), Eugene Richardson (407/2008) and Caribbean International Maritime N.V. dba as Intermar (408/2008). The latter is the step father of the former commissioner of Public Works now Minister Theo Heyliger.
Records obtained from the Kadaster' s Office showed that Eugene Ezechiel Richardson obtained long lease from Government for section 407/2008. The long lease was registered on June 1st 2010, while the long lease was executed on May 25th 2010 before Notary Gijsbertha. Island Concrete received their long lease for 409/2008 which was registered on December 24th, 2009 while the lease was executed on December 4th 2009 before notary Gijbertha. For the section 408/2008 the property remains under the name of the Island Territory of St. Maarten.
Angele Bell-Pantophlet told SMN News that she has been going to the office of deputy Prime Minister (Former Commissioner) Theo Heyliger's for years to obtain a long lease for the land her father filled in but to date government did not grant them that long lease. Bell-Pantophlet said she met on several occasions with the Minister's executive assistant Maurice Lake who did not provide solutions to the problems. Furthermore, Heyliger's office had referred Bell-Pantophlet to the office of former Commissioner William Marlin for him to resolve the issue when Heyliger resigned from the executive council earlier this year.
Bell-Pantophlet in a letter dated September 2nd 2010 to former leader of government William Marlin stated that she also met with the former head of Public Works Joseph Dollison and Marieke van Zaddelhoef (Head of Domain Affairs) to discuss the sections of land her father filled in and government did not grant him his long lease for all sections. Bell-Pantophlet said Dollison asked her to make an invoice for the cost her father endured to fill in the property so he could send an advice to the executive council for her family to be paid. She said after some time had passed Dollison informed her that government was not in a position to reimburse them for the filling in. So at that point Pantophlet gave government three options namely: (a) grant them the long lease for the land they filled. (b)compensate them for the work they did by filling in the property (c) or grant Pantophlet another area as compensation.
Bell-Pantophlet wrote in her letter that in 1997 her father Reginald Pantophlet went into business with Walter Kosch of Island Concrete. The first plot Pantophlet filled in she said was located in Sucker Garden knowns as (C/A80/1991) located next to Jo Jo's Construction.
According to the letter, government indicated to the businessman that the section in Sucker Garden area was a commercial and residential area and not for industrial business, thus government suggested that they (Pantophlet) fill in another area closer to Arch Road based on his business plans. The letter also states that Pantophlet filled in 6000 square meters plus the second option of 4000 square meters.
Bell-Pantophlet said government granted them a long lease for one section of the land they filled in marked as C/A 80/1991 after several meetings with Dollison. The young businesswoman said to date her father has not been compensated for 4279 square meters of land he filled in. She further explained that while she attempted to see Heyliger on several occasions and she was unable to meet with him until the last day of his election campaign when he showed up at her office. Bell-Pantophlet said during that meeting the UP leader told her he was willing to give her father a plot of land in Simpson Bay as compensation since he could not approach his stepfather and request payment for the land Pantophlet filled in. Heyliger she said told her he was not aware of the land issues and that his executive assistant did not apprise him of the meetings she held with him.
Bell-Pantophlet further explained that since then she did not hear or see Heyliger until December 8th 2010 when he sent her an email informing her that he instructed his staff to look into the issues of the land.
Bell- Pantophlet was not very forthcoming as the deputy Prime Minister she said made a verbal agreement with her and she did not want to jeopardise that agreement. She said that she and her father has been dealing with this issue for years and when she heard long lease was granted to Caribbean International Maritime dba Intermar she attempted to see the managing director/CEO George Pilgrim but he did not meet with her or return her calls.
In an invited comment on this ongoing issue Heyliger said in an email to SMN News that that there is no resolution in government records to show that the Pantophlets had rights to the land.
