St. Maarten Private Eye - Justice Police Crime

Loor is a free man again

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:49:01 -0700

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.

Laveist's Foundations under investigation

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:18:30 -0700

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.

Donations and Foundations at the Center of Investigations - 14th June 2008

Detectives investigating Laveist Foundations - 14th June 2008

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The Synergistic Relationship Between Planes & Crime

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:59:51 -0700

Thugs rob businesses and individuals because that's where the money is and they're too lame to earn a living like the rest of us.

When the economy tanks, some that do have jobs lose them and join the ranks of the thugs, and the problem worsens unless authorities stop it.

That brings us to our wonderful little island, where nobody in power seems to understand that news of Thug Outbreaks gets to tourists quickly. Tourists read it and they cancel trips. Busnesses lose business. People lose jobs. The economy worsens. More jobless Thugs rob more people. And we wind up another Trinidad, Jamaica or D. R. where tourists still come but hide inside gated, guarded resorts their whole trip.

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The Three Steps to Crime Prevention

Sun, 18 May 2008 14:02:08 -0700

There are many issues facing the new country Sint Maarten. With this blog I do hope to exchange with others on ideas and suggestions how we can confront and be part in the making of this new country. Sint Maarten has been my home for 36 years but I do not like what I see today. Crime is of one of the major issues that will bring this island to her knees if we do not act and prevent the escalation.

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Police Crime Report - Update

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:53:31 -0700

A Police Crime Report with a twist. Marcel Loor gets a huge reduction on his sentence, Holiday gets charged with defrauding the Antilles and we are still waiting for Marsden to 'Bus the Pot' on all the fraud and theft crimes he claimed to have evidence about.

And then, there is the Head of Police Finance who has been suspended for revealing financial information about Lt. Gov Richards, information that perhaps ought to be public record anyway. Perhaps now is a time to bring up that old chestnut the Code of Conduct and ask Mr. Richards if he is willing to set an example by following it.

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Getting the priorities right on crime

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:34:58 -0700

Did anyone else notice the front page of the Daily Herald today? The top headline reported a 4th armed daylight robbery in Philipsburg and directly below it was a headline reporting how the police had fined 140 and towed 45 cars in road controls. Is it just me that sees something wrong with the priorities here?

I took a walk down Front Street and the Boardwalk today, I was in town about 3 hours and in that time II did not see one police or VKS officer. I visited a few store owners that i have known a few years and asked them about the situation.....

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NOVA - Big Bang or Pfffft.

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:22:03 -0700

And so NOVA came, with less of a bang than some of us expected considering their name, but then, were we wrong to expect too much from them? SXM PE made a request to them to add subtitles to the shows when Dutch is spoken, their response was "It's expensive and our show is for a Dutch audience". Say's it all really doesn't it?

Although they are right, it is expensive and their audience is largely Dutch, SXM Maarten is part of the Dutch Kingdom in the midst of a very important decision making time, and, as they point out themselves in their show, English is the main language here. I've always thought that talking about someone in a language they don't understand in front of them is rude. Maybe it's just me, expecting too much.

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The presumption of innocence. Easily misunderstood and misused.

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:35:55 -0700

The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe says (art. 6.2): "Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law". This convention has been adopted by treaty and is also binding in Saint Maarten.
Many judges in the court of public opinion apply the rule when friends are involved. We heard it a good bit when Marcel Loor, Derrick Holiday and Churchill Marsdin were arrested. It was inhumane and unjust to lock them up, according to some. What happened to the presumption of innocence, asked others. When the animals that attacked Ryan Smith and Tom Jefferson were arrested, nobody asked a thing.
Why is that?

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Chief Inspector Alfred 'Churchill' Marsden Arrested.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:31:02 -0700

Reported today on Radio Soualiga, Alfred 'Churchill' Marsden, aka 'Chico' Marsden, cockfighting and poker affectionado, former head of Julianna Airport Immigration until June last year and National Alliance 2007 election list member. was arrested this morning at the prosecutors office.

Marsden's arrest is likely connected with the previous arrests of Marcel Loor and that of Chief Commissioner Derrick Holiday. More below.

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Corruption in St. Maarten

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:35:39 -0800

A friend of mine was having lunch at a Dutch Side restaurant a while back when he noticed a prominent politician having lunch with a local business person. There were smiles all around the table, handshakes and at one point at least one envelope was passed from the business person to the politician.

Eventually lunch ended, and both gentlemen left, but the envelope, a rather fat one, fell to the floor and wasn't noticed.

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Nova, Nazi's and the Today Rag

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:09:18 -0800

The Today Editorial today is a remarkable piece of work of sophistry for a newspaper which would have trouble investigating itself out of a paper bag. It is a rambling mess of irrational outrage at the news a NOVA TV crew is planning to come here and do some investigative reporting on the island about corruption. According to the Today, the perception that St. Maarten is corrupt is 'erroneous', 'ludicrous' and 'malicious'. It attacks any locals who are planning to talk to NOVA about corruption as being on par with Nazi sympathizers of the second world war in Holland who cooperated with the occupation.

The Today newspaper, and the Daily Herald, have played a major role leading SXM to the state it is in today, their pathetic standards of investigative journalism gives them no leg to stand on when another press organization decides to do so. The enemy here is not those who are brave enough to speak up and share information about the problems here, but those who would prefer to shut other people up and keep their heads stuck up their ass, believing they are smelling roses.

The Today to me is a pathetic rag erroneously using the label of newspaper.

More here
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Leta Lynn Cordes - Missing in SXM

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:04:42 -0700

I was without internet for a while and I guess the regular writers all thought someone else would post about Leta. Below you will find a collection of news links to this story and in the coming days will will add the scanned clippings from the papers.

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SXM Police Chief 'Reassigned' - 'Arrested' - 'Released'

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:40:00 -0700

I've called for it before and in my opinion the sudden 'reassignment' of Derrick Holiday, the Police Chief Commissioner for the Windward Islands, is long overdue and very welcome. SXM needs change and reform in many areas and this one in particular. Holiday is old wood, like a stick in the mud and times are changing, new energy, new ideas and fresh clear thinking is needed to prepare SXM for it's new status.

Unfortunately I can't scan the papers and sadly the stories from saturday or today (Monday) are not available on the Daily Herald Website, apparently news about a car thief and the Rotary Club are more important. Hopefully someone will be able to add them in the next few days. Seems to me there is much more to this story than meets the eye........

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Law and Order - SXM Style

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 12:14:47 -0800

Again and again, basic human rights are abused and disregarded in St. Maarten. Suspects held longer than the law permits before charge, cramped into disgusting and unhealthy cells, sometimes with violent prisoners. Police abuse and incompetance goes uninvestigated and unpubished again and again and all the top management and authorites have to say is that we should support them, have faith, trust.

I don't, I'm sorry. None, zero, nada. zilch!

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Four for Loor

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:07:32 -0800

4 years? How much is that is St. Maarten terms? And he did it all on his own with no one else knowing about it or turning a blind eye huh? Please fee free to share your comments below.

Four years in jail for millionaire cop - 19th November 2007

Marcel Loor trial to continue today

Loor to know his fate today - 15th November 2007

More can be found in the Marcel Loor Thread

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