~ PM says Plantijn is a Sarah Boy and he has to go~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin and the Secretary-General of General Affairs Hensley Plantijn is at loggerheads since the SMN News broke the article regarding the illegal hiring of foreign adjuster Smith Orloff & Associates. According to information SMN News received is that the Romeo Marlin is now laying the blame at the feet of Plantijn since he is the one who prepared the advice for Smith Orloff & Associates to be awarded the contract even though no bidding was conducted. Now that Romeo Marlin and her team has been caught with their pants down the Prime Minister began distancing herself from the ordeal even though she is the one that gave Plantijn direct instructions to prepare an advice to eliminate Henderson International and to award the contract to Smith Orloff & Associates.
Even though Plantijn had limited participation in the initial bidding process that was handled by the former government headed by former Prime Minister William Marlin in 2017, when Romeo Marlin took office in June 2018, Minister of VSA Emil Lee convinced Romeo Marlin to revisit the decision taken by the former government since Lee wanted the contract to be awarded to his friends at Smith Orloff & Associates. It was after these discussions with Romeo Marlin and Lee that Romeo Marlin instructed Plantijn a lawyer by profession to skip proper procedures and prepare an advice to hire Smith Orloff & Associates.
Romeo Marlin is also blaming Plantijn for not following proper procedures with the termination of the contract granted to Henderson International prior to the engagement of Smith Orloff & Associates.
Upon further investigation by SMN News, it revealed that the senior civil servants that signed off on the previous advice prepared by former Head of Finance Ravi Daryanani did not sign the new advice that Plantijn prepared as the correct procedures were not followed.
It is further understood that Romeo Marlin is now claiming that Plantijn is a “Sarah Boy” and he has not been following her instructions and not advising correctly, thus he has to go even though he is a permanent employee of the Civil Service of Government.
SMN News further understands that the Prime Minister has been sidelining Plantijn and giving direct instructions to the various department heads within the Ministry of General Affairs. SMN News will bring more information as the feud continues between the Prime Minister and her Secretary General.
http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/30479-exclusive-pm-and-secretary-general-of-general-affairs-at-loggerheads.html
