Kralendijk:--- On February 23, 2026, the Board of Financial Supervision of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (Cft) visited Bonaire. During this visit, the management of government entities was the focal point. The Cft urges Bonaire to determine and implement an official policy aimed at government entities. Furthermore, Bonaire must invest in lasting improvements to financial management and prioritize strengthening executive capacity within the organization.
Government entities: from note to implementation
Not everything is in order at Bonaire’s government companies, which is illustrated by the persistent issues at Selibon and Tourism Corporation Bonaire. Therefore, work is currently carried out based on an internal policy note aimed at improving the management of government entities. The Cft recognizes this is a good first step. Bonaire must further elaborate on this and convert it into official policy determined by the Executive Council in consultation with the Island Council. In that context, it is important to implement safeguards to ensure that the appointment of members of the directions and Supervisory Boards takes place in an independent manner. In doing so, a clear and verifiable framework is created for the management of government entities. “Good policy for government entities is the basis for clear accountability of public resources for public tasks”, states the Cft. Furthermore, it helps to enhance Bonaire’s executive capacity. The Cft urges the Executive Council to establish and implement such a policy in the short term.
Financial management
The Cft again draws attention to financial management. Over the past years, Bonaire has taken important steps in the improvement of financial management. From late 2024 to mid 2025, the Cft observed a decline, but since then, the upward trend has resumed. Further and lasting enhancement of financial management still remains necessary, now that it has become clear that Bonaire substantially increased its 2025 budget towards the end of the year, while still closing the year with under-realization. Furthermore, 2025 was also closed with a preliminary deficit, without any further explanation.
Earlier, the Executive Council promised to take specific measures to enhance the quality of budget and financial management, in order to be able to adjust the implementation of the budget at an earlier stage. This is not only important for the regular budget, but even more so for the special benefits, many of which are close to expiring and may even be recovered. During its most recent trip, the Board stated that Bonaire must become more in control.
The Cft will closely monitor these promises made regarding the measures for the enhancement of financial management. The Executive Council has promised that these will lead to improvements as early as in April of this year.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Sunday, the 22nd of February 2026, the Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) responded to a report of an armed robbery in the Simpson Bay area. The victim reported that he was robbed of his chains. Following an investigation by the Armed Robbery Unit division, S.A.E. was arrested on February 25th, 2026. The suspect remains in custody as the investigation continues.
