PHILIPSBURG - Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT) Irania Arrindell hopes that negotiations with Princess Juliana International Airport SXM Managing Director Regina Labega will be concluded soon and that Labega will be hired as a consultant for the company.

 

Labega has been suspended with pay since November 13 last year and Deputy Managing Director Larry Donker was appointed by the supervisory board.

 

Arrindell said on Wednesday that Labega could not be reinstated to her old position due to the report from the St. Maarten Secret Service Agency VDSM. She said Labega had taken a leave of absence on her recommendation, to await the outcome of a recent appeal filed by her lawyers against the conclusions of the VDSM report. However, Arrindell said that Labega would be out of the job once her contract will end in June of this year.

 

Labega’s position requires a certificate of no objection, but former Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs refused to issue this based on the results of a screening carried out by VDSM. Labega later filed a request with the Court of First Instance to suspend this decision and is awaiting the outcome of the appeal against the screening report.

 

The Daily Herald