St. Maarten Private Eye

Yes, Mr. Gibbs that is quite true regarding the rapidly changing political climate in Holland.

For persons that can understand Dutch: the article is posted below this summary in English:

PVV party wants to stop Antillean constitutional reform

Dutch opposition party PVV of Hero Brinkman has presented 4 motions which include a motion to stop the constitutional change per immediately and not offer any debt relief to the Netherlands Antilles as the Dutch tax payer should not need to carry the debt relief burden.

He does not understand why the Antilles do not move towards independance so that the Dutch tax payer no longer has to pay for this "corrupt bunch of thieves".

The motion was not supported by many parties and State Secratary of Kingdom Relations, Ank Bijleveld-Schouten meanwhile has lamanted the terminology used by the PVV. She says that she does not characterize the Antilles as such and says that it's not correct at all.

Hero Brinkman wants to unilaterally impose independance for the Antilles but Ank Bijleveld-Schouten has repeatedly said that this is not technically possible and is not as easy as it sounds and that the citizens of the Antilles have chosen to stay within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

She does acknowledge that many Dutch citizens support PVV's proposal to "get rid of the Antilles" but wants to point out that we're talking about human beings on the other side of the ocean and people should realise that for a change. Also she points out that the PVV tends to only emphasize the negative instead of also acknowledge the positive about the relationship with the Antilles.

Bijleveld-Schouten agrees that there are problems with good governance and corrpution in the Antilles and therefore she is in talks with the Antillean leaders to address these problems and come to a mutual solution as this is the interest of the citizens of the Antilles, which should be the number 1 priority.

But she does want to remind the Antillean leaders to pick up te pace in their constitutional reform as the political climate in Holland is hardening by the day, which the Antillean leaders should realise.

Here's the article in Dutch + link:

http://antilliaans.caribiana.nl/politiek/car20080425_brinkman-bijleveld

PVV wil hervormingsproces stoppen

Nederland moet de onderhandelingen met de Antillen over het staatkundige vernieuwingsproces ogenblikkelijk stoppen, vindt oppositiepartij PVV. Het Tweede Kamerlid Hero Brinkman diende een motie met die strekking in tijdens het Voortgezet Algemeen Overleg met staatssecretaris Ank Bijleveld van Koninkrijksrelaties.

Brinkman wil verder dat Nederland de toezegde 2,2 miljard euro voor de schuldsanering niet uitkeert. Die schuld is ontstaan door 'corruptie en wanbestuur', aldus de motie en kan niet 'op kosten van de Nederlands belastingbetaler' worden overgenomen. De PVV'er vindt het verder onbegrijpelijk dat de eilanden niet voor volledige onafhankelijkheid kiezen.

De PVV diende vier moties is, waarin opnieuw duidelijk werd gemaakt dat de partij elke financiële ondersteuning van het 'corrupte boevennest' ongewenst vindt. De partij van Geert Wilders en Hero Brinkman wil zo snel mogelijk van de Antillen af.

De moties kregen nauwelijks steun in de Tweede Kamer. Staatssecretaris Bijleveld stoorde zich aan de bewoordingen die Brinkman gebruikt en ontraadde alle moties. "De terminologie die erin staat over bestuurders en mensen op de Antillen is mij helemaal vreemd." Daarnaast zou Nederland zich laten kennen als een onbetrouwbare partner als de moties zouden worden uitgevoerd: "Dat vind ik volstrekt ongepast."

Brinkman suggereerde eerder dat Nederland maar uit het Koninkrijk moet stappen en stuurt met de nieuwe moties aan op een gedwongen onafhankelijkheid voor de Antillen. "Ik heb toen al uitgelegd dat het niet zo eenvoudig is als hij dacht", zegt Bijleveld daarover. De bevolking van de eilanden heeft in referenda aangegeven in het Koninkrijk te willen blijven en daar houdt de staatssecretaris aan vast.

Veel Nederlanders zijn het met Brinkman eens dat Nederland 'van de Antillen af moet'. Dat wil de staatssecretaris niet negeren, maar ze wil duidelijk maken dat dat niet mogelijk is en dat het ook om mensen gaat: "Het lijkt wel of hij niet ziet dat er mensen aan de andere kant in het Koninkrijk wonen." Bijleveld wil bovendien ook graag de positieve punten benoemen: "Dat wil hij niet zo graag horen."

Toch ziet ook Bijleveld de problemen die er zijn, zoals niet-deugdelijk bestuur en corruptie, en daarover praat ze met de bestuurders op de Antillen. "Met elkaar werken we naar een andere situatie, want dat is in het belang van de bevolking en dat moet voorop staan." Verder maant ze de Antilliaanse bestuurders tot snelheid bij de hervorming: "Ze moeten zich realiseren dat in Nederland het klimaat harder wordt."

Let's see, there's a little corner in your house where law enforcement finds a barrel of cold cash, you defraud the federal government, you signed or forged outdated forms to admit illegal to the island, you open a trust company under a false name with you as the only managing director. This account in Nevis is loaded with more cold cash and you can't account for any of it. Furthermore, You start a security company using off duty police officers to guard the big Turk in Pelican with guns and ammo belonging to the Police department.
Your wife is going on trail for defrauding the Dutch Coast Guard services and at the end of the day, the court of appeal of the Netherlands Antilles reduces your sentence to half with another couple of month of good behaviour, Mr Loor will be walking the streets, probably setting up shop on "How to", and life goes on.
Oh, and your fine is reduced from 600.000 guilders to 15.000 guilders. It's a good day in paradise.
Mr Gibson, you did a great job. I'm sure all the white color criminals will be knocking on your door pretty soon.

Please forgive my ignorance: who are Mr Loor and Mr Gibson? What is the Pelican? This is all beginning to sound like a Raymond Chandler novel. If you can tell me any more I'd be very grateful and all these little corners would eventually have a little light shed on them in the form of my thesis. There's nothing like transparency.

A thesis requires research. If you familiarize yourself with the posts in this blog you will have a bundle of information for your dissertation. I'm assuming you're completing some type of professional qualification. I;m not sure if comments on a blog will qualify as a source. What is your thesis about?

I could not agree more with your statements.
Loor did all of this, Judge Luis De Lanoi put him away in the first instance, now in appeal there is this ridiculous reduction of time and money?
I have to question if we have competent prosecutors doing their job. When Loors accounts proved he had real estate in Red Pond, offshore accounts, what the heck were the judges in appeal looking at?
I can ony summerise that the appeal judges have a difference of opinion with Judge Luis De Lanooi.
But they are saying there is not enough evidence? what more do they need? So is it ok for the police chiefs to also defraud the government by putting away money in offshore accounts? I guess this case will only want more cops to rob the banks, initimidate foreign bussiness people to fork over cash so that they can keep their illegals working. Another day in paradise all at the expense of appeal judges and mediocre prosecutors.

Here's one for you.

Louis Attanasio, a Capo for the Bonanno Family was arrested in Cupecoy, in 2005 I think, and sent back to the US to stand trial for murder. He was sentenced to 15 years in Sept 2006.

Mr Ha Ha's two sons are apparently regular visitors to St. Maarten and have been seen several times in the company of the Erato sons, Mark and Drew, the developers of The Rainbow Beach Club and Aquarius in Red Pond.

Mojo

Attanasio still owns a house in Point Pirouette, which the Erato family built.

The guy who ran Maho was Italian, that doesn't necessarily make him mafia. Here is a better island to pick on.
click here

Wasn't he Rosario Spadaro, who is now in prison in Italy for Mafia activities? Thanks for the link to Aruba. But why avert our gaze from Sint Maarten?!

I believe Nielleduke1 has a political agenda. 2005 there were indictments of three men with Mob ties in the gangland-style murder of gambling ship magnate Gus Boulis. Adam Kidan was questioned. Adam Kidan was Spadaro's partner.

Nellie, darling, you have quite some research to do.
Spadaro is a free man, he still owns the Maho hotel and more. You will have to do more than come on this website with nothing expecting+ the bloggers here to update you. And if you don't know who Loor, Pelican and others are I also ask you check out the other blog stories and get acquainted.

The Daily Herald

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You are on your way...Good Luck!

Nellie, another post for you: what do expect from this investigation? Because I don't think you will be able to get a job when you have finished studing. Do you realise that? This is just a warning, don't underestimate the size of the sharks here...and another thing if you are genuinely interested in this, get a job at the Prosecutor's Office first, then start an investigation.
And please don't expect bloggers here to just serve you the Transparency dish with extra hot Mafia sauce...
Thank you.

Spadaro is the owner of Maho, developer of Aquamarina and probably lots more, including a politician or two some say. As far as I know, Spadaro was held by the French some 10-12 years ago in Guadaloupe after he strayed into their waters on his boat. I can't recall exactly what the charges where but I think it had something to do with money laundering.

More recently, a few years ago, I think he was held, or kept, in IItaly for an investigation for a few months. I believe he is currently a free man. His son runs his businesses now I believe.

LH

You mean beside the usual money laundering ?
The Italians were first and then the Turks arrived. Each tries to outdo the other in buying influence. Anyone with influence is encouraged to gamble on credit. Debts are created and payed off with favors. When that doesn't work they arrange to have local thugs rob competing casinos. Rarely is anyone caught and it disapears quickly from the headlines.
They depend heavily on the local dollar and the affect is a severe gambling addiction by many people.

Who are the Turks involved? And when did they arrive on the scene? That's a new development - or at least I haven't heard of it. When you say the Italians were first, do you mean, in the case of Casino Royale, Rosario Spadaro? Does his son now own the casino? Do rival mafias own rival casinos? Thanks for your help. What you're saying is astonishing.

Port De Plaisance, Dolphin Casino and I believe Atlantis But not sure about that one. There are about 13 casinos on the island with only a handful attached to a hotel.
The first of the Turks arrived when they took over Port De Plaisance maybe 8 -10 yeras ago, The face of these is Ozkan (sp)
Spadaro is just the face of the hotel and casino operations and yes his son is now running the day to day business and no Roasrio is not in jail in Italy but back in St. Maarten and has been for quite awhile.
If the connection between these operations and the mafia operations was that easy to make they would be shut down but it is assumed that an Italiain mafia is involved with some and a Turkish mafia is involved wth others.

Dear Nellie and others, The turks arrived on the scene when they first bought Coliseum Casino in Philipsburg, then after they bought Port De Plaisance.
Nellie, are you sure this is a thesis? or a news report for some newspaper rag?
The fact that you think it is astonishing, why? what is so astonishing about it? This has been happening for over 10 years now.
I get the feeling you are too green in this subject and you still have a way to go if you really want to finalise a comprehensive thesis.