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The 50.000 dollar question.
Election time is over and the dust has settled down. Many writers on this site are noticeably upset about the vote buying programs that the two largest parties ran. Allegedly that is, because nobody has posted hard evidence or personal experiences. And unless some brave soul stands up to shows us otherwise it will all just remain hot air. Case closed for now. A case that should not be closed yet is the GGV "donation" to commissioner Laveist; The most blatant example in SXM's history how to bribe a government official and get away with it. Refresh the memory? Click here to Read More ____________________________________________________________
GGV, a foreign owned company employing many (if not exclusively) foreigners all in need of work permits, "donated" 50.000 dollars to commissioner Laveist who issues these work permits. Right in front of our eyes. Well…to be precise, it was donated to the New Hope Foundation some alias of Laveist. An article written in the TODAY Newspaper in August 2006 when GGV opened its new sales office, stated that the monies were given to Laveist for community projects which the New Hope Foundation was to undertake. The article quoted a statement from J. Scott Wittle, President and CEO of Grand Gateway Vacations who said that it is with co-operate citizenship and community sponsorship that he has identified with New Hope Foundation, where Laveist is president and founder
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In that same article the commissioner said that the aim of the foundation is to help people who are on drug use, since his foundation was created to help the ills of the St. Maarten community. Laveist also said in that article, in which he posed with members of his board who welcomed the hefty sum, that the monies will be used mostly to eradicate the use of substance and victim abuse
. Yes you heard it right: the monies will be used mostly to eradicate the use of substance and victim abuse
. Kissy-kissy sweet talk or rather plain bullshit baloney if you ask me.
| To eradicate substance abuse or campaign funds? |
It is some 9 months later now and we haven't t heard a thing about Laveist's so called efforts to eradicate substance abuse. I am really starting to question this. The public has the right to know who are the real beneficiaries of this massive payout? How exactly has Laveist and his board used the amount to eradicate the use of substance and victim abuse. May we know please? Don't GGV like to know? Until we know how it was spent, payment of any amount to a commissioner (or his foundation) is fraudulent by any standard as far as I am concerned. If this goes unnoticed by the authorities, we can stop pretending that we are a society under the rule of law. I mean let's face it, what is it that you need to do around here to get a bribery investigation sparked. If a 50 thousand dollar payment to a commissioner's foundation, disguised as donation to the good cause, is not enough then what is?
To add insult to injury the original New Hope Foundation is a genuine 30 year old US (NJ) based non-profit organization dedicated to the treatment of adults and adolescents for alcoholism, drug addiction and compulsive gambling. It has an impressive track record. Laveist's New Hope Foundation has no track record as far as I can tell. I wonder why he copied the name because it can't be coincidence.
The 50,000 dollar question is why the justice authorities do not act on this copycat commissioner accepting a substantial irregular payment while in office and not giving any accounting for it. It is really high time that authorities start showing their presence or they run the risk that many of us indeed find that justice on Saint Maarten has degraded to class justice and second class justice at the same time.
We needed an update on the situation and a new blog for the comments. Previous discussions about GGV and Laveist can be found at the links below.
Last we heard, the prosecutor was looking into it. It stands to reasons that Laveist must have been asked to give an account of his foundation and what it did with the money, however much received. If I recall correctly, GGV did make a claim that they didn't give it all in one go, that it would be in installments, but I can't find the article. Not that it matters, the time to regulate campaign finances, commissioners business interests and their 'foundations' passed long ago.
By the way, I don't agree with the case being closed about vote buying, but I will explain more in my own post later on tonight.
Hady
Grand Getaway Vacations and Immigration
Grand Getaway Vacations - 5th September 2006
Have you or any other reporters asked Mr. Laveist for information on what his foundation actually does, or has done with money donated? Seems to me that its a glaringly obvious question that needs to be answered here.
Hady
Yo Hady,
thanks for posting this stuff. As the relatively new, 57year old, kid on the SXM block (I started at Today on April Fool's Day!) I was not aware of this case, but you got my attention and I put it somewhere near the top of my to-do list for tomorrow. If you happen to know which prosecutor is involved pls let me know.
In the meantime, tx for your input.
O Psilos
From SXM News Network
New Hope now denies $50,000-donation --- Laviest caught Lying on the Record---
Philipsburg—The New Hope Foundation never received $50,000 from Grand Getaway Vacations in April 2006. “It was promised to us, but we received only $15,000 or $20,000,” the foundation’s treasurer Virgilio Brooks claimed.
The New Hope foundation was established on St. Maarten in September 2004 as a tool “to assist and improve all aspects of social development within the community.” The foundation-register at the Chamber of Commerce further reveals that New Hope aims “to place emphasis on substance abuse eradication, development of community facilities and programs, to combat and assist with the rehabilitation of victims of all manner or sorts of abuse, physical or mental.” Government-critics have on more than one occasion referred to New Hope as “Commissioner Laveist’s private foundation”.
Grand Getaway Vacations made a grand gesture towards New Hope in April 2006 when its chief executive officer Scott Whittle presented a check of $50,000 to Commissioner Louie Laveist, who is a board member as well as the public relations officer of the foundation.
Commissioner Laveist via email was confronted as to how the foundation spent the generous gift. The commissioner said that he is not asociated with the foundation, a statement he made at the floor of the Executive Council Press Briefing. The commissioner said he is only the founder of New Hope.
Reporters then approached the treasurer of New Hope, Virgilio Brooks with the same question. who said that information is confidential ” he said. “We are helping out people, sometimes with small amounts. We help immediately, so people do not have to wait.”
Minutes after this very brief telephone conversation, Brooks called to to change his statements claiming that New Hope did not receive $50,000 from Grand Getaway Vacations. “It was promised to us but we received only $15,000 or $20,000.”
In a Today Newpaper report last year that Commissioner Laveist received a $50,000 check. On the occasion, Laveist said that the money would go towards a good cause. “This money will be put to good use in the community of St. Maarten and we are extremely grateful for it. New Hope Foundation was founded on the grounds of social ails in St. Maarten. We have helped many affected by drug abuse.”
Attempts to verify the discrepancy between the $50,000-check and the amount Brooks claims the foundation received with Grand Getaway failed yesterday afternoon, because Mr. Whittle was off-island and his customer service representative said she was not allowed to give out her boss’s number in the United States.
Questioning if Laveist still has a function with the foundation, New Hope’s treasurer answered, “Mr. Laveist is not part of our foundation, he was never on the board, but he was just helping us out.”
However, the Chamber of Commerce-excerpt proves obtained on May 7, 2007 mentions commissioner Laveist as board member and public relations officer. Lydia Arnell is president of New Hope, Achken Richardson secretary and Virgilio Brooks treasurer. The fifth board member is Rita Gumbs.
The issue of Commissioner receiving this large gift which to date has not been accounted for has caused the united Front Union where Willy Haize is president to send a letter to the Island Lt. Governor Franklin Richards to conduct an investigation, something the Governor forwarded to the island prosecutors office. This media house learnt via reliable sources that the commissioner is a subject of questioning by the Dutch detectives which is now one the island biggest public secret, as law enforcement has so far refused to sanction the questioning.
Virgilio Brooks doesn't seem to care that his Foundation is considered a scam of somekind, his argument about information being confidential makes no sense if he is working for good causes. The reporter doesn't seem to be asking for intimate details, just some examples and overview. You know, proof that the foundation is ligitmate and not a fraud as it currently seems to be. - Dr. Voodoo
Again SXM News Network posts a story on Private Eye as its own work, while the New Hope scoop is a production of Today. I don't mind seeing my work here, on the contrary, but at least give Today the credit it is due.
I do not follow dr. Voodoo's argument about 'not asking intimate questions'. Brooks did not want to talk; the facts speak for themselves. There is nothing wrong with the foundation, they just refuse to talk about how they spend a donation they did or did not get, nor are they eager to clarify Laveist's involvement.
O Psilos
Which was found on SXM News Network. Perhaps you need to chat with them about it. We always credit where a news item came from, we would link directly to the page on SXMNN if it were possible, or to a Today website, if one existed.
As for nothing wrong with the foundation, I would disagree. A foundation that claims to do good works as this one has no reason at all to be secretive about the work they have done, unless they have something to hide. To me this makes New Hope a dubious and sketchy organisation.
I notice the headline on the Front page of the Today, seems to me that the Today has lost the balls we thought it had found. 'Marlin sinks Enerserve'? Yeah, right...... We are working on a post examining all the things Roy said, did you notice his wag of his finger at you for doing some investigative and questioning reporting? With your headline today, I kind of get the impression that you've been nuetered.
Flipper
Yeah right Flipper, you may have noticed that there was an IC-meeting, we reported what Marlin said there, like we reported what others have to say on the matter. I couldn't care less what any political hack thinks about my reporting. Politically, I think Marlin indeed sank Enerserve, whether you like it or not. Last time I looked my balls were still there and I can assure you that I will keep doing what I do--reporting what I can verify. Ask Laveist, somehow I think he does not like me anymore.
I am far from done with New Hope, sometimes it takes longer than I wish for to get printable stuff. I know you would always credit us, no prob there. I just wish SXMNN would not doctor my stuff to make it look it came from them. And indeed, we will talk about this.
O Psilos
Laveist does not like anyone.... Guess you heard of the Leonard Gildarie saga...He was a radical reporter that was kicked off SXM
Link added - ed
The National - Leonard Gildarie case
The new hope foundation is a foundation for the betterment of society.
So Virgilio Brooks as secretary should explaint to the media how the money received from Grand Getaway crooks was spent.
Every foundation that is non-profit and is for helping society should open their books to show that they are not scamming the money.
This situation is starting to smell, who will investigate this?
Time that all political foundation are scrutinised for donors and expenditures.
Does anyone have pictures of Virgilio Brooks and other boardmembers of this scam foundation such as the president. I think we should post them here so we can all recognize them and when do aks them what happened to the money. These people should come out and tell us how it is. I bet they think again to ever go on any board if the people start asking them spicy questions. So... pictures anyone?
Isnt that going too far again. To scandalize people without facts and then post their pictures. Is that responsible? I think not.
Yes, no and we agree. They wouldn't appear on here.
SXM PE
Scandalize people without facts? "However, the Chamber of Commerce-excerpt proves obtained on May 7, 2007 mentions commissioner Laveist as board member and public relations officer. Lydia Arnell is president of New Hope, Achken Richardson secretary and Virgilio Brooks treasurer. The fifth board member is Rita Gumbs." What do you mean "without" facts?
Isn't it a fact that they are in the board of this foundation? Isn't it a fact that the board is responsible? Isn't it a fact that big amounts were accepted from GGV when they were in need of work permits? Isn't it a fact that no accounting has been given and noone knows where the money was spent on? Isn't it a fact that the board should know? What other facts we need?
I don't think it is wrong to show who these people are by putting a picture. Good idea. That has nothing to do with scandalizing. By the way; Who scandalized who? For me they did themselves. Publishing picture of the players takes these matters out of anonymity. It is a matter of prevention. Why keep everything secretive?
if thats true, why dont you start with putting your face and name behind your posts, and while your at it put your job info as well and your family too!
your move!
Easy but the difference is: I am not involved with laundering a 50 thousand dollares bribe to an elected official for workpermits. Give a face to corruption and we may prevent our society from falling apart any further. That was the point. But what is left of your scandalizing without facts story?
I agree with the above post. The board of foundations are responsible for their actions, who else is responsible, God? Pippo the clown? Big Bird?
The fact that Laveist lied that he is not associated with the foundation while his name clearly is mentioned in the Chambers excerpt. His secretary Lydia Arnell is the President of the foundation.
SXM people have to realise that individuals cannot hide behind foundations, foundations have a registered board that is responsible for decisions taken or not taken by the foundation. The President is first and foremost responsible of a foundation. While the treasurer is responsible for the treasury, it is still the President who's responsibilty to be abreast of what goes on in the foundation.
If there is any investigation into these funds donated by Grand Getaway scam artists, it will be Lydia Arnell who will have to face the music. Laveist will most likely get off scot free. I am sure this will create mistrust in this little circle and someone will have to talk.
Since the New Hope foundation is a community foundation, the community beeds to know what was done with the money of $50.000 or whatever amount they eventually received from Grand Getaway. The treasurer should know how much was received and what they did with the money, Lydia Arnell should be abreast of whatever situation. Another question reporters need to look into is how many board members have cheque signing power for the New Hope foundation.
Just for the sake of Clarity SMN News does not steal information but on the contrary shares information with all other media houses. I do not know the reporter personally but I think he can at least call me to find out, what arrangement I have with the company he works for. Slandering a person is not good and the reporter I believe knows this very well.
If you somehow get your hands on an article, then sanitize it for your own purposes (like replacing the name of Today with vague terms like 'reporters' you know damn well what you are doing. State you read it in Today, then do whatever you like, I have no problem with that. The way this was done is what I call, uhhh....stealing. Don't do it again.
O Psilos
Wow, things ain't sounding too hot here. something's fishy
New Hope - Whos fooling who? - 24th May 2007
New Hope denies $50,000 donation - 22nd May 2007