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Leonard wants investigation into ownership of Simpson Bay land
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Jan 10, 2006 14:24 UTC
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PHILIPSBURG - Leader of the St. Maarten People’s Party (SMPP) Johan “Janchi” Leonard wants the Prosecutor’s Office to look into any possible wrongdoing by Commissioner Louie Laveist in connection with his alleged involvement with Tradewinds Development Corporation N.V.
The corporation, with which Laveist is reportedly associated, was recently awarded parcels of land in Simpson Bay on long lease by the Executive Council of which Laveist is a member. However, another company, EFB Properties, is contending that it has occupied the land in question for nearly 33 years.
EFB Properties has also announced that it intends to take the Island Government to court over the Executive Council’s July 27 decision to give the property in question to Tradewinds Development Corporation N.V. on long lease.
Leonard said he also hoped Leader of Government Sarah Wescot-Williams would clear up the matter, as he understood there had been some unsettling feelings within the party when it was time to vote on whether to grant Tradewinds Development Corporation the right to long lease.
Leonard said the fact that while the land has been given to one company, another company claimed not only to have leased it, but to have been using it for more than 30 years, was enough reason to conduct an investigation to determine “what these people are doing with that property.”
Leonard said he was not making any accusations, but “when you hear one thing you hear another and another and soon enough people start to cry corruption. But too often these types of matters get swept under the rug and if a former prosecutor can be investigated and arrested then this shows we are all punishable under the law.”
Leonard was reacting to newspaper articles in which it was mentioned that a piece of land in Simpson Bay where the BBW bagging plant is currently located had been transferred on long lease to Tradewinds Development Corporation and that Laveist had hired a designer to put on paper ideas he had in mind for the planned development project.
“I have no problem with local people getting assistance from government, when it is legitimate …,” Leonard said. However, he said, he had problems with “politician buddies” teaming up and putting a local person to front for them.
Leonard continued: “I am not saying that there is any wrongdoing on the part of anyone as yet, but it sounds suspicious and I believe that in order to ensure that the good citizens in Simpson Bay were not being swindled out of a piece of property that they well deserved, just so that a rich few could get even richer at their expense, an investigation is warranted to clear the air on what was done and what went wrong.”
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