Philipsburg:--- With the ongoing investigation at the section ROB and a damning report by the SOAB regarding the discrepancies that are equivalent to corruption at the ROB (Public Works Department). SMN News has learnt that the committee that is currently investigating the department for Commissioner Theo Heyliger has interrogated the head of Inspections Henry Ellis and the owner of Olzina NV Samir Andreos on Friday last week. According to information reaching SMN News is that the interrogation of Ellis was done in the presence of Andreos who according to our sources was putting pressure on Ellis for him not to tell the truth.SMN News also learnt that the head of domain affairs Marieke Van Zadelhof is chairing the committee even though the SOAB suggested in their report that an investigation be conducted in domain affairs department. Also on the committee is Eunicio Martina from legal affairs. Miguel de Weever from Economic Affairs, Ron Daal from Independent Consulting Engineers and David Morison an architect. Currently several questions are being posed towards the make up of the committee regarding two members who are not civil servants. It is mandatory that all committee members who are conducting investigations for government should be civil servants while outsiders can serve as advisors or experts to the committee.
In the preliminary and final report of the SOAB it states that although they have not carried out a detail control of the domain affairs department it has been brought forward in the interviews that there are shortcomings in that department. The investigators noticed that persons who put in a recent request for domain land, including some workers of the Sector ROB, received domain land before persons who requested domain land long before them. One of the workers who received domain land is Marieke Van Zandelhof head of domain affairs. Zandelhof also created the parcel of land she now occupies in the Pointe Blanche area, land which was not designated as domain land.
SMN News learnt that the committee wants Ellis to tell them why he did not issue a building stop to Olzina N.V in 2008 since there was no building permit in place for the buildings situated in Cay Hill. According to documents provided to SMN News it is clear that Ellis wanted to issue a building stop but the sector director of ROB Joseph Dollison refused to sign the document.
The building stop which is published below was made up on July 16th 2008 bearing the signature of Henry Ellis but not that of Dollison. Ellis wrote that on July 14th 2008 the inspector's service of the island territory of St. Maarten observed that construction activities were taking place at Oryx drive Cay Hill and that the contractors were busy building without a building permit, which is not in accordance of the building ordinance. Therefore the owner, caretaker or lessee of the premises must stop construction immediately.
SMN News also managed to recover a second building stop for the same company which was made out on October 27th 2008, this time ordering the owner of Olzina to stop construction since his workers were working without the necessary safety equipments.
SMN News also got a circular which has several questions pertaining to Ellis's sudden move from the head of inspections to the office of former commissioner Roy Marlin in December 2008. The writer of the circular wants to know of Ellis's removal has the same motives as that of Guy Gumbs who recently resigned from his position as head of permits. Sources say that Ellis was under severe pressure from Dollison. The circular states that Ellis left for vacation in November 2008 and when he returned in December 2008 he learnt that he was removed as head of inspections to Marlin's office. The question posed by the writer is if Ellis moved because of pressure or is it because of the famous Olzina permit that everyone working at ROB refused to sign including former VROM head Delano Richardson.
It is further understood that the former head of VROM Delano Richardson faced the same kind of pressure Gumbs and Ellis faced with Dollison when it comes to permits for certain investors. SMN News also learnt that Gumbs was also under pressure and he sent at least five memos to Dollison telling him that he would not sign permits for people who were not complying with the building codes on St. Maarten. SMN News also learnt that Gumbs resigned because of the constant pressure from Dollison.
