~Former finance minister will take Sint Maarten’s seat on the financial supervisory college on October 1~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Perry F.M. Geerlings, who dealt directly with the College of Financial Supervision (Cft) during St Maarten’s difficult post-Irma budget years, has been appointed as the country’s new representative on that same college.
The Kingdom Council of Ministers approved his appointment on St Maarten’s nomination, according to a Dutch government announcement issued Friday, September 25. His three-year term begins October 1, 2026. He succeeds Julisa Frans, who will leave the position on that date with an honorable discharge.
The appointment brings Geerlings back to an institution he knew from the government’s side of the table. As Minister of Finance, he worked with the Cft on St Maarten’s 2019 budget while the country was still managing the financial consequences of Hurricane Irma. His ministry prepared a revised draft after Cft recommendations on projected spending. Geerlings said at the time that the new draft would reflect agreement reached with the college on total projected expenditure.
That budget process also exposed sharp political divisions. During the June 2019 budget debate, a motion of no confidence was tabled against Geerlings. The motion challenged, among other matters, the time taken to prepare the budget. He remained in office after the motion failed by eight votes to seven.
Geerlings’ career extends beyond the Finance Ministry. The Dutch government identifies him as a former Member of Parliament, a former director of the Cabinet of St Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague, and a former holder of several financial sector positions. He currently sits on Sint Maarten’s Corporate Governance Council, which advises on the governance of government-owned companies and foundations.
His earlier work in The Hague included serving as director of the Minister Plenipotentiary’s cabinet. In 2014, SMN News reported that he completed training at the Clingendael Academy covering international diplomacy, foreign relations, European Union project management and public administration.
Geerlings now joins the Cft as Sint Maarten faces continuing pressure to reconcile public spending with available revenue. The college is an independent supervisory body with an advisory and signaling role concerning the public finances of Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Although Geerlings takes the seat on Sint Maarten’s nomination, the appointment is to that independent college.
Click here for the official announcement: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2026/09/25/benoeming-nieuw-lid-college-financieel-toezicht-curacao-en-sint-maarten
