PHILIPSBURG--Since February 2009, Freedom Fighters Musical and Cultural Foundation has been at loggerheads with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau concerning a financial contribution to the Rastaman Vibration celebrations of that year in commemoration of reggae legend Bob Marley. The faceoff ended Tuesday with the Court of First Instance ordering country St. Maarten to pay US $12,515 in damages.
According to Freedom Fighters President Roland "Ras Bushman" Joe, he had received a pledge of financial support from the Tourist Office to organise a second event around Bob Marley's birthday on February 6.
"That year we organised a Bob Marley Tribute at Celebration Palace, but seeing that would be a bit out of the way for tourists, the Tourist Bureau had made the suggestion to add a second event to also get tourists involved at Great Bay Beach on Saturday, February 7," Joe informed the Court during a hearing last year.
Two to three days after the event, however, he was informed that Freedom Fighters would not receive a penny, which had put the foundation in an awkward position, as it could not pay the provider of the sound system and a security company.
Freedom Fighters had started talks concerning a possible sponsorship with then Tourist Bureau Director Regina Labega in November 2008. In a follow-up meeting in January 2009, they had come to a final agreement with Gus Priest of the Tourist Bureau, Freedom Fighters stated.
However, country St. Maarten, the defendant in this case, had stated that Priest never had any authority to close such an arrangement or made any financial commitments. The Tourist Bureau had only given a "conditional approval," pending final decisions to be made by the Department of Finance and the Executive Council.
Judge Coen Luijks ruled in favour of Freedom Fighters, and ordered country St. Maarten, as employer of the Tourist Office's director, to pay $12,515 in damages to Freedom Fighters.
The judge turned down Freedom Fighters' request to also award $1,876 for out of court collection cost. He only awarded $500 in estimated cost. Country St. Maarten was also ordered to pay the costs of the legal procedures, set at NAf. 4,564.
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