The Council of Ministers has put Maria Plantz forward to the Kingdom Council of Ministers as nominee for the position of member of the Kingdom Council of State (Raad van State) as per October 1, 2018. This vacancy remained unfilled after Dennis Richardson left the Council of State in 2013 to become Minister of Justice. Mrs. Plantz currently serves as member nominated by Sint Maarten of the CFT, since October 1, 2015 and has previously served as vice-chair of the first Corporate Governance Council of Sint Maarten from 2010 to 2014.
Mrs. Plantz is the granddaughter of the first elected Senator of the Windward Islands, Mr. William Rufus Plantz, and is the legal representative of his estate on Sint Maarten. Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin is extremely happy that this important position to safeguard Kingdom relations will be filled now.
The Kingdom Council of State is a High Council of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which acts, among others, as independent advisory body to the Kingdom Government on legislative and administrative matters, including matters, which affect the Caribbean countries in the Kingdom.
Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin remarked, “We have come to know Mrs. Plantz as a knowledgeable legal professional, with a wealth of experience gained from her career as CEO in international business. She has proven to be a valuable member of team Sint Maarten, serving the country in public functions since 2010 and I am very happy that she will accept this new role when her term as member of CFT ends on October 1.”
The Kingdom Council of Ministers is currently considering the succession of Mrs. Plantz at CFT, where her departure will leave a void. “We are mindful that we need to ensure that a replacement is found for Mrs. Plantz at the CFT as soon as possible. We regard CFT as an important partner to achieve improvement of our overall financial budgeting and accountability”, said Prime Minister Leona Romeo- Marlin.