St. Maarten Private Eye

TI's List

Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It hurts everyone whose life, livelihood or happiness depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority.

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Corruption | World News | Angelina's blog | add new comment | read more

Three Wise Men??

Can someone tell me who these supposed Three Wise Men are? Seems debatable to me.

Will Leroy take up a place on the Exco and would that set the stage for a possible repeat conflict drama with his sister as acting Lt Governor?

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Bad Governance | Corruption | Island Politics | Maria Buncamper | Local Hero's blog | 6 comments | read more

Jet Set Roy

Poor Roy again displays his ignorance when it comes to the definition of proper governance, accountability and public service. It matters not a bit if Roy has been traveling on private jet on govt business or not, certainly if on govt business then it's a disgrace, but hardly surprising from 'The Man' if true. More importantly though, if he has been taking private jet trips then there needs to be some accountability and public information about who paid for such trips, or who the jets belong to.

Roy is quite wrong, as an elected public servant his private life is not private, having come into office with very little, Roy is now suspected of involvement in numerous business interests and property ownerships. Healthy democracy requires safeguards against big money being able to influence and buy political favor, for example, giving a company permits and exemptions in exchange for work on your house. Roy needs to account for his 'private life', it's part of being a public servant.

Frans: Roy flying private jet while island in dire straits - 29th July 2008

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Bad Governance | Corruption | Island Politics | Roy Marlin | Tourism | Flipper's blog | 19 comments | read more

Good governance and transparency = New Status

PPA Leader talks about conflict of interest
Written by Gracita R. Arrindell
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 19:16

We read with great interest the news reports and the editorials concerning the public spectacle at the Island Council meeting Monday considering the clearly impermissible and improper conduct by Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus and her spouse.

However, the most disappointing part of the meeting was the continuing role of the Lt. Governor who uses every opportunity to prevent and delay any effort to call the DP to order.

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Bad Governance | Constitutional Change | Corruption | Franklin Richards | Island Politics | Maria Buncamper | Wasime Liburd's blog | add new comment | read more

Loor is a free man again

The Daily Herald reports that former police commissioner Marcel Loor is a free man again.

The Joint Court of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba ordered Loor's immediate release from prison after it established in a closed-door session on Wednesday afternoon that he was eligible for early release for good behaviour.
(...)
Loor (39) was sentenced in the Court of First Instance in November 2007 to four years in prison for forgery, bribery, tax evasion and money laundring.

Corruption | Justice Police Crime | add new comment | read more

Quit Imagining; Maria is no Hillary !!!!

“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders” -Robert Townsend, taken from Maria campaign material

In my short life I have seen some strange political suicides. But nothing can be compared with the bombshell that Commissioner Maria Buncamper Molanus finally dropped in her own lap. In addressing the matter of her glaring conflict of interest, she claimed she was going to deal with fraud and embezzlement from top to bottom at TELEM.

Has Commissioner Buncamper now sunk to blackmail? Bottom line: too many listeners agree that her revelations convinced the public that she had prior knowledge of wrong doing at TELEM, but she is now using it as a lifeline.

Question: If indeed such information exists, then should they be in the possession of the Commissioner? Shouldn’t they be in the hands of the public prosecutor or, better yet, Ministry of Justice or the police?
Question: Why has the leader of government chosen to say nothing about the Commissioner’s accusations? Why has she not denied those allegations?

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Bad Governance | Corruption | Island Politics | Maria Buncamper | sybille's blog | 61 comments | read more

Laveist's Foundations under investigation

Remember Grand Getaway Vacations and their $50,000 donation to Laveist's New Hope Foundation? It would seem those rumors we heard about a top politician questioned by police had more truth to them than we we were told.

Grand Getaway was apparently sold last year and was in the news this past March with rumors of a reopening. I think it might be a bit more difficult to bring in their own workers this time with all the scrutiny.

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Bad Governance | Business and Labor | Corruption | Immigration | Island Politics | Justice Police Crime | Louie Laveist | Local Hero's blog | 3 comments | read more

Mr Good Governance? Sky is the Limit and Telem Donation

Time and time again, sketchy deals and outright disrespect from the EXCO towards the opposition and the public when it comes it what should be public information is condoned by Mr. Richards. I've tried to convince myself that he is impartial and has integrity, but this latest issue has wiped any hopes I had left away.

Repeatedly writers on here have questioned whether he is capable of walking the walk, and it seems clear, at least to me, exactly on which side of the fence he stands, because he certainly isn;t sitting on the fence in the middle. I mean, really, the best this man could come up with to stop people using phone cameras to sell their votes was to have them switch them off before going in the voting booth.

Anyway, all the news clippings from the past week covering the Sky is the Limit donation issue are below. Feel free to share your thoughts and vote in my poll.

LH

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Bad Governance | Corruption | Franklin Richards | Island Politics | Maria Buncamper | Local Hero's blog | 7 comments | read more