SMN News learnt that Minister of Health, Labour, and Social Affairs placed a stop on the bidding process when he realized that he was the one responsible for potable water and not the former Deputy Prime Minister Theodore Heyliger who was leading the bidding process.
Sources close to the Ministry said that the Minister of Health, Labour, and Social Affairs took a tour of the AIRFIN Water plan on Thursday in order to gather more information on the company.
It is further understood that four companies were interested in bidding for the project which was to construct a second water plant in the Pointe Blanche area. SMN News has been reliably informed that the four companies already paid for their terms of reference which is required by law to submit their bid but the actual bids were not yet submitted thus making it easier for the Minister to place a stop on the water plant bidding.
The companies that were interested in the bidding process are General Electric, National Investment Bank (NIB), Small Water Services, and AIRFIN Holding NV doing business as Seven Seas Water St. Maarten.
It should be noted that while AIRFIN Holding has a contract with the government of St. Maarten that was signed sometime in 2007 and is valid until 2018. However, the former Minister of VROMI who was heading the project did not hold any discussions with AIRFIN to see if they are able to construct a second water plant to better supply the entire island. The source said that the former Minister worked on the project under the guise that a second water plant would reduce the cost of potable water while he made a deal with Small Water Services to grant them the bid. "Small Water Services is owned by a Dutch man and they already have a contract with government to install the storm pipes on the Pondfill."
Minister of Health, Labour, and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever confirmed to SMN News that he did place a stop on the bidding process in order to review the law more carefully. The Minister also confirmed that he visited AIRFIN on Thursday and he intends to release more information on his visit to the water plant on Friday.